Kingdom Hearts: The Elysian War
by Spartan-3x13
Summary: The Keyblade War carried consequences that those in the past could not foresee. Now, nearly two millenia later, Sora and company find their destinies intertwined within a war that never ended. The ancient masters of the Keyblade are far from dead.
1. Section 0: Prologue

**Disclaimer: Capcom, Disney, and Square-Enix related material is not my property.**

**There is another summary here to give you all a clear description of what is CURRENTLY happening in the KH universe.**

**Summary: Ten years have passed since the final events of KHII. Since then, Sora has lived a nearly normal life with his wife Kairi and his best friend Riku in the city of Radiant Gardens. After years of painstaking work he, Kairi, Riku and the Committee have finally restored the glorious world to its original splendor. But even as peace reigns among the worlds Sora fought so valiantly to save, the Heartless menace has found new worlds to bring to ruin. **

**The Elysian System: A large cluster of worlds united as one under the flags of an ancient civilization that has proclaimed to be the origins of mankind. However, they now face extinction as the Heartless sweep through their proud society and in a last ditch effort; a single soldier must seek out the aid of the fabled Keyblade Masters.**

**This is the story of the Elysian War…**

**Prologue**

Chapter One: Fable

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soft white lights brightly illuminated a large weight room within the confines of a silent battle station. The exercise equipment and benches remained untouched in the early morning hours as most of the crew members, save for the necessary personnel that kept the massive space station operational, were fast asleep. However, a lone young man stood within the sparring ring inside the room, taking light breaths as he prepared for his exercises.

With a sudden swing of his arm the silent air was broken with the swishing sounds of a fencing sword. The young man continued to swing his blade, practicing different defensive postures and striking motions as he battled with invisible enemies during his rigorous session. Eventually he paused to wipe the sweat from his brow and went to recover a small textbook lying in the corner of the sparring ring.

The book was old and tattered, its title The Art of Fencing barely legible on its cover. The young man delicately thumbed through it, crimson eyes scanning over its contents as he ran a hand through his cropped, dark red hair. He glanced over the instructions carefully, noted his mistakes, and proceeded to wield the fencing blade once more. He repeated his exercises moving about the ring as he defended and struck against the air, completely unaware of another figure curiously watching him.

"You know, Coryn, if someone else sees you doing this they'll label you as an oddball." The other spoke up, causing the young man to stumble and turn to face his interrupter. Another young man stood at the edge of the ring smiling as crimson eyes met light red ones.

"Phobos… Uh… Good morning." Coryn smiled.

"Not that you already aren't," Phobos chuckled, entering the ring and taking the fencing sword from Coryn.

"H-hey, be careful with that!" Coryn protested, attempting to take the weapon back as Phobos kept it out of reach.

"Man, where did you manage to get a relic like this?" Phobos muttered, scrutinizing the blade.

Coryn laughed lightly at the comment.

"A few years back in Elysia City. Some old guy was getting rid of some junk and I picked it up with this instructional book," he said, proudly showing off the fencing book.

Phobos gave him an odd look and scoffed, "And you make fun of me for liking kittens."

Coryn huffed and repossessed his blade before exiting the ring. "So…What did you want to talk to me about?"

"I actually just came here to work out," Phobos replied as he followed Coryn to a row of benches.

"Don't lie. I saw you following me in the halls," Coryn sighed, taking a seat.

Phobos sat down across from him and stared blankly at the floor. "I'm…just a little shaken from that last attack." He sighed, thinking of the previous day's battles, "I…didn't think it would be that horrible."

Coryn cocked his head. "Didn't think it would be that horrible? They're Heartless, for crying out loud. You of all people should know just how horrific those nightmares can be." Coryn grunted and tilted his head upward. "I guess no one could ever really get used to this sort of thing."

Phobos looked at Coryn. "That was my first large scale attack, you know. I mean, I've lived through my share of minor attacks but…" He paused, trying to find words to describe his anxiety, "For a world to be swallowed up by darkness like that…It just seems so unreal."

"I know what you mean." Coryn nodded. "I sometimes think I'm gonna wake up and all this would be just some crazy-ass dream." He sighed.

"You and me both," Phobos scoffed and locked eyes with Coryn.

"Six months. Six months and we've been hit one blow after another." He grasped his head in anxiety and grunted in frustration. "People are dying. We're doing everything in our power to stop the Heartless but…I don't know. I…I just don't see an end to this. Do you?"

Coryn sighed softly and looked away, "Yeah…I do."

Phobos perked up and looked hopefully at the older man in front of him, "R-really? What is it?"

Coryn glanced at Phobos with a saddened look in his eyes, "It ends with Elysium…dying"

Phobos laughed ruefully at the statement and shook his head, "Not the answer I wanted to hear, Coryn."

"Well, I call it as I see it," Coryn sighed, "This last one was Centuris. But then we had Kimotama, Copernicus, Terra, and…" Coryn's eyes glazed over as he recollected the final fallen world, "Oberon. Five out of twenty-five worlds just…" He snapped his fingers for emphasis, "Gone. Just like that. Fifty-five million people dead in just six months…and the rest of the worlds are in line."

"Putting it like that…makes me wonder what the point is in even fighting the Heartless," Phobos muttered, "I mean, if we really are that screwed in the end…what's the point?"

"Because…" Coryn started, causing Phobos to look up at him as he stood, "We are Elysians!" Coryn exclaimed, "We get pushed, we fight back with everything we've got! What would you honestly rather do Phobos? Lie down and die like a wounded animal!?"

Phobos was a bit bemused by Coryn's sudden energy and remained silent as his friend continued, "Or would you fight back with everything until you had nothing left in you!? 'Cause I don't know about you...but I'm definitely not gonna give those Heartless bastards the satisfaction of an easy kill!"

Phobos nodded in agreement, ignited by Coryn's words.

"Yeah…Yeah, you're right!" he exclaimed and jumped out of his seat, raising a fist to the air, "I'm not going to just give up like this!"

"Yeah!"

"I'm gonna fight with everything I've got and see how far it gets me!"

"That's right!"

"I'm sure the opportunity to take the advantage is just around the corner and I'll do anything to seize it!" He suddenly pointed at Coryn. "Wouldn't you!?"

"Damn right, I would! But until then, I still think we're all dead." He muttered it quickly, dousing the energetic fires burning within Phobos.

"Aw, come on Coryn! You had me going for a second there…" Phobos whined.

Coryn chuckled warmly, "Sorry but I had to. If I let you get too worked up, you'll do something stupid. But listen…" He placed a reassuring hand on Phobos's shoulder, "Just because I think we're all going to wind up dead doesn't mean it'll happen. We just need to have a little bit faith. We can get through this…I hope."

Suddenly the intercom on the wall began beeping incessantly, cutting the two men's conversation short.

Coryn made his way to the panel and keyed the intercom.

"First class Purifier Coryn Vastus speaking," he announced.

"Oh, good, I was hoping to get in touch with you Commander Coryn," a young woman on the other end replied, "Mistress Isis urgently requires your presence in Operations Room Two."

"I'll be there shortly," he answered and turned to Phobos who still looked worried, "Try not to be so down. Like you said. The opportunity could be just around the corner." Phobos nodded with a smile as Coryn began to exit the room.

"Oh and…try not to be so reckless during the next attack. You saved a lot of people but don't push your luck, Phobos," Coryn advised.

Phobos chuckled and nodded his head. "You know us Devastators, Coryn. We grab life by the horns."

"Yeah, and you sometimes get impaled. Think you can take my stuff to my barrack room?" He didn't wait for a reply as he headed off to meet with Isis.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Coryn arrived at his destination within minutes. He was, if anything, eager to see his old friend. She had been the voice of reason in a better portion of his childhood, and it was something he had always deeply appreciated since he knew that he could look to her for guidance. They had parted ways the day he entered the Elysian Military Academy as she aspired to take political office in society. They both succeeded in their ambitions but by doing so sealed away any chances of a casual reunion. Now, during this nightmare, would be the only chance he could ever have at speaking with her and even with the current situation, it still put an ease on his nerves.

The doors slid open with a soft hissing noise as Coryn entered to find the room completely empty save for one person: Isis. She was sitting in the center of the room, toying with the strands of her long brown hair as she awaited Coryn. Her light green eyes brightened as she saw him enter the room and with a smile, rose from her place and hugged him tightly.

"M-mistress! This isn't exactly proper conduct!" Coryn stammered, cheeks reddened with embarrassment.

"Why do you think I had the room emptied?" She smiled, releasing him. "Come on, have a seat." She gestured, leading him to the center of the room.

Coryn sat down and let out a sigh of relief; she hadn't changed one bit. "It's been about eight years now. You look great, Isis." He smiled.

Isis let out an amused hum. "It's good to see you, too."

Coryn nodded and looked seriously at Isis. "Well, as much as I'm sure you wanted to. I don't suppose you called me here to reminisce. What did you need to see me about?"

Isis's smile dissipated and she began to tap at a personal keyboard next to her.

"I wanted to show you something, Coryn," she sighed.

"Oh?" The room suddenly darkened as the holographic projectors within the ceiling activated. In a few brief flashes of light and color, the images of the worlds within the Elysian system were shown above Coryn and Isis.

"As you already know, the system has been plagued with one attack after the next during the last six months," Isis began, "So far, five worlds have already fallen. That coupled with the ceaseless minor attacks, we have estimated a total of fifty-eight million casualties and rising."

"Okay. I know this already Isis," Coryn said, "With the way things are going, all of Elysium will be swallowed by the darkness in no time."

"So true," Isis sighed, "Currently we have no feasible means of defeating the Heartless. But we have considered a profoundly different method of fighting back."

Coryn suddenly perked up.

"A new way to fight back?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes." She nodded. "But please - try and keep an open mind about this. The World Controllers as well as the surviving Mother Units have unanimously agreed upon sending an agent to search for any wielders of the Keyblade."

Coryn fought hard to suppress his laughter and let out a heavy scoff instead. "Keyblades? Don't tell me all you politicians finally ran out of options. Keyblades are a fairy tale, nothing more."

Isis stared vehemently at her friend.

"I said keep an open mind about this, Coryn," she said sharply and typed once more on the keyboard. The images suddenly zoomed out and another system of worlds neighboring the first was shown.

"Those worlds are beyond our borders," Coryn muttered as he watched the display above him.

"We hypothesized that any wielders would carry an immensely different energy signature than that of ordinary living beings," Isis explained, "We sent probes that could measure these signatures throughout Elysium but came up short. So we sent them beyond the rim of our system to search on other worlds and we found something astounding."

Coryn remained silent and on the edge of his seat, unsure of whether to believe Isis or not. The images suddenly zoomed into one of the worlds of this other system and began to show a recorded feed of its inhabitants. People were bustling about in what appeared to be a large city, their bodies outlined with soft blue.

"As you can see, these humans carry the average energy signatures in their bodies. And these…" She began typing rapidly and the images moved about and targeted three individuals within the city. Their bodies were glowing intensely with radiating hues of blue, orange, and red.

"These are the three individuals who we assume to be wielders of the Keyblades. They've been identified as two males and one female." Isis finished.

Coryn stared in awe at the images. "N-no way. Their energy signatures are bordering off the scale! That's impossible!"

"Impossible…" Isis smiled, "To the average human." She typed another set of commands and the image zoomed out then back into an adjacent world. "We've also encountered a fourth signature, this one appearing to be non-humanoid so the designation of sex or even species is indeterminable."

Coryn scratched his head in confusion and chuckled. "This is a bit unreal. But considering we're fighting Heartless, I have no choice but to believe it. So where do I come in?"

"You, Coryn, have been selected to travel to one of these worlds, preferably the one inhabited by humans, and attempt to enlist the help of these individuals," Isis stated with an air of pride.

"You know I'd do this for you but…What if this is just a goose chase?" Coryn sighed.

"Then as a friend I'd tell you to stay there," Isis said, tears welling up in her eyes, "If these people aren't wielders then Elysium is doomed."

Coryn shook his head in disagreement. "You know I'd never do that. Whatever the outcome is I'd come back to fight until my very last breath."

He sighed and stood up. "I'll do it. This may very well be our only chance at survival and I won't pass it up. I'll just need to prepare and - "

"There is one condition to this Coryn," Isis cut in, "You are not permitted to take any of our technology. That means no weapons or equipment. The only item you'll be allowed to take is a communications relay to contact us when you arrive. We know that these people use outdated gummi technology to travel about their worlds so we've already prepared a ship in docking bay twelve. And we have an old flight suit for you."

Coryn grunted dejectedly.

"Talk about suicide…" he muttered, "Alright, I understand the conditions. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll just prepare the necessary provisions." He bowed quickly and turned to leave when he felt a tug at his arm.

Isis pulled him close to her and brought his head down. "Take a small armament, and anything you might need for a light recon mission. Hide it in a rations case and I'll have my men look the other way. I won't be sending you out there defenseless." She whispered.

"You always did look after me. It was nice seeing you again." He smiled and left the room quickly.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Final shakedown of engine systems is nearly complete, sir," a disembodied female voice announced.

Coryn checked the monitors aboard the gummi ship to view their progress. "Good work. Let me know when it's completed." The soft clanking sound of someone entering the ship was heard and Coryn turned to see Isis entering the small bridge.

"Oh Isis, did you come to send me off?" Coryn smiled.

Isis nodded calmly. "Yeah…"

She paused and suddenly hugged Coryn once more. "Come back, okay? I don't want to lose you like I lost Guinness."

Coryn sighed softly and set Isis back to look directly at her. "Don't worry. I promise no matter what happens… I'll come back."

Isis procured a small metal pin emblazoned with a lion from her robes and handed it to Coryn. "Here, I want you to take this."

Coryn gingerly accepted the token and he felt a lump form in his throat. "But…Guinness gave this to you when we went to the Military Academy. Why would you give me something so precious to you?"

Isis couldn't hold back a few tears as she tried her best to maintain her composure. "He meant it as a good luck charm, Coryn. I want you to have it for luck."

"He meant a lot to the both of us. He was my brother and…you loved one another," Coryn said softly and attempted to hand the pin back, "I can't take this, Isis. You were his world and he gave this to you from the bottom of his heart."

"I still love him," Isis shuddered, "But I love you like a brother and you're still alive. I want you to take it… Please."

"Alright," Coryn nodded and sighed, "When this is over... if we make it through…let's go to Elysia City and give him a proper funeral service. I'm sure he'd appreciate it."

Isis wiped a few more tears from her eyes and smiled. "Yeah. It's the least we can do." She hugged Coryn once more and turned to leave the ship. "Good luck, Coryn. And come back."

"I will! I promise!" he called out as he closed the boarding ramp behind her.

"Shakedown complete. I'm awaiting launch orders now," Juno announced.

Coryn quickly took a seat at the controls and strapped himself in. "Okay, here we go." He keyed the panel before him and the ships engines roared to life. The gummi ship gently rose from the landing platform and hovered slowly into the airlock chamber, its rear door closing the ship off from the bay.

"All systems green. Prepare for decompression," a technician announced over the com.

"So… Juno, was it?" Coryn asked suddenly.

A small projection of a young woman appeared on the control panel. "That's right. Combat A.I. codename: Juno, at your service, sir."

"Well, Juno, it was nice of Isis to assign you to me," Coryn smiled, "I'll be counting on you okay?"

"Yes, sir," Juno nodded.

The bulkhead in front of the ship opened slowly, revealing the massive void of space before Coryn.

"Alright… Let's hope this works," he muttered as the ship blasted off into the night.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Okay. Chapter one complete…again. I had decided to rewrite this fanfiction to fix some major errors I made in the beginning chapters. I also wanted to alter some of the storyline as some of you may notice in the coming chapters. **

**I'll explain the Capcom bit. I am basically just using some terms as well as some names and concepts from the Megaman Legends series. No actual characters from Megaman will appear in this fic but I feel I should give credit where credit is due. The Elysian system is a concept I borrowed from the game but on a much larger scale.**

**I also opened this first chapter with several OC's in order to make slightly clear of the situation. If you read carefully Sora, Kairi, Riku, and King Mickey were mentioned here. But since my characters don't know them, I didn't mention them by name.**

**Major thanks to Apakoha for the nudge I needed to rewrite this. Any fans of Tales of the Abyss should definitely check out her story "Promethes Mneme".**

**Until my next (redone) chapter-**

**Spartan-3x13**


	2. Transcendence

**Well it was a long time coming but I finally finished the massive chapter 2. **

**Don't have much to say other than the fact that I'm really grateful to my co-author Apakoha for helping me with this and for being the one to encourage me to rewrite this. Without that nudge I doubt I would have gone back to make this chapter the way it is now. **

**So here's a big shout out to the totally awesome Apakoha. You rock! **

**Disclaimer: You all know the drill here. We fans don't own anything, but we can sure as heck dream.**

**(Kingdom Hearts is the sole property of the Square-Enix Corporation)**

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Chapter two: Transcendence

The sun burned brilliantly as it hung low in the evening sky, setting the clouds aflame with hues of orange, red, and violet. The ocean breeze blew gently across the large palms as the soft waves licked at the sands of a small island. Sora sat upon the angled palm that grew from the outcropping of the small island from his childhood. Calm blue eyes gazing blissfully and obliviously out onto the horizon when with a flash of blue light, twin falling stars plummeted into the ocean.

Sora sat upright with rapt attention as he watched Riku and himself emerge from the waters. Smiling, he walked quietly down the beach as he saw the heartwarming embraces he shared with his comrades as they greeted him. He arrived next to Kairi right as she grabbed the hand of the other, younger Sora. "You're home." The smiling younger version of Sora smiled brightly as he held out the precious charm that Kairi had given him.

Suddenly, time itself stopped. The silent waves were still and the forms of Kairi, Riku, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Mickey were frozen in place. Sora glanced about in confusion when he noticed the young Sora suddenly tilt his head in his direction. Sora jumped back in surprise and locked eyes with his younger self who beamed.

"I guess it's about that time," the young Sora said excitedly, still grinning as he turned his hand and let Kairi's keepsake drop. The trinket fell quickly then slowed as it neared the water, nearly halting completely as its tip touched the water. Without warning, the waves along the beach erupted into a towering wall of water that crashed into the tiny island, dissolving it in all its fury.

He tumbled end over end in the currents as he was swept about like a piece of driftwood in a storm. He held his breath desperately for fear that he may drown within the swirling waters when he suddenly felt the pressure of the ocean leave him only to be replaced by wind softly gusting past as he slowly fell in almost total darkness.

His descent began to slow and he instinctively righted himself before touching down onto a hidden floor. Sora swallowed hard, for the memory of the last time he was in this place was as strange then as it was now. Nevertheless, he cautiously placed a step forward as the floor predictably erupted into a flock of glittering white doves.

The large mosaic beneath Sora's feet caught him off guard as he let out a small gasp of surprise. It was a scene of carnage as the images of an epic battle of heavily armored soldiers filled the entire platform. Many were dead or dying as the warriors who were barely discernable from each other as they mutilated one another. It would have been a little less disturbing for Sora if the weapons the soldiers used were not an endless variety of Keyblades.

Sora's eyes scanned the mural sadly as he continued to gaze at it when something caught his attention. At the top of the mural was an all too familiar heart hanging high within the blood-red sky. Sora slowly walked towards the image in apprehension. Below it was another armored figure that was depicted larger than the rest with eight glowing Keyblades radiating from its sides. And in the figure's hands, a ninth Keyblade was raised high into the air pointed straight at the heart.

Sora let out a small gasp of disbelief and collapsed to his knees at the sight of the ninth Keyblade. With a shuddering breath, he ran a finger over the image.

"Th-this can't be… This is the… Kingdom Key?" Sora whispered, surprised to find his Keyblade within the bloody scene. His attention was suddenly shattered by twelve luminous spheres of energy that rose up from the sides of the pillar he stood on.

Scrambling to his feet, he watched the spheres fly high into the space above him, twisting as they arranged themselves into a circular pattern before descending rapidly back toward the mural. Sora immediately crouched low in a panic as he expected the spheres to explode upon impact. They hit the surface of the mural, immediately creating twelve pillars of light to rise up and into the endless black that made up this place.

A harsh wind began to blow and the tremendous boom of thunder echoed throughout. And then, seemingly all at once, the black was swept away like nothing more than a bit of dust on a table revealing a vista similar to a sunset only without any visible sun in an endless sea of clouds. The wind continued to batter a mystified Sora as he covered his face from the cutting winds just enough to see what was going on around him.

With a second boom, the pillar began to quake and the towers of light suddenly converged downward and into a point directly in front of Sora at the mural's edge. In a flash of radiating colors a massive bridge extended across the empty sky and stopped before a door of monolithic proportions.

Sora stared in awe at the sight, oblivious to the fact that the wind, thunder and quaking had all ceased.

_Welcome back._ A serene, feminine voice seemed to emanate from nowhere, causing Sora to jump in surprise.

_Calm yourself, master. I mean you no harm._ The voice resonated reassuringly. _It seems as though it has been too long since our last… meeting._

Sora quickly glanced about the platform and saw no one around. "Last meeting? Who are you?"

The voice chuckled warmly at Sora's confusion as the Kingdom Key materialized in to his hands. _Are you sure you do not recognize me? I, who guided you along the paths you chose on your journeys, who was your protector, and who gave you a means to battle the darkness._

Sora eyed the blade he carried in utter disbelief. "N-no… You can't be… the Kingdom Key, can you?"

The voice hummed with amusement. _Is that really so hard to believe, master? How could you say that I possess no sapience when it was I who brought you here once before to prepare you for the nightmares that lay ahead? When it was I who chose you over my second master, the one you know as Riku, and I who allowed the princess to take refuge into your heart when she faced certain doom?_

"You… _You _saved Kairi?" Sora choked on his words, unable to grasp what the voice had uttered.

_Correct, master, _the voice chimed euphorically. _It is what you would have wished for me to do, is it not? However, your wife is not the reason that I brought you here, master._

Sora grunted in acknowledgment and nodded towards the doorway. "Let me guess, it has something to do with that door?"

_My, my, sarcastic are we?_

"Can I ask you something?"

_Of course, master._

"Why is it that you can speak to me like this? I've never heard you before so… Why now?"

The voice chuckled merrily. _It is because you have reached the age of transcendence._

"Transcendence?" Sora eyed his blade questioningly.

_Master, when we believe they are ready, our wielders are granted the full extent of our power. The age of the wielder varies but this rite of passage is the same. Our bond has grown tremendously over the last five years. Perhaps because you have been doing what you believe in deep within your heart. A feat not easily performed by many._

"What I believe in?"

_Your heart guides you along a path of altruism. You find joy in helping those in need, and so by helping the citizens of Radiant Gardens, you find happiness with your family and friends. The light within you grows so strongly because of this and thus our bond has also grown._

Sora blushed lightly at the compliment before his attention turned towards the mural on the floor. "What is this all about? It's so… disturbing…" His voice trailed off, once again absorbed by the bloody images.

_That, master, is why I have brought you here. What lies before you is my recollection of times long since passed, the Keyblade War._

Sora was taken aback. He had read small references about the topic within the journal entries left behind by Ansem. But like the wise sage before him, only thought of the subject as a mere bit of folklore than an actual all-out war.

"So… There really was a war, Kingdom Key?"

_My true name is Regna, master, but you may call me what you wish. Yes, there was a war. My brethren were pitted against one another by the wills of our masters in a bloody conflict. Those like me survived, which is more than what I can say for our masters._

"But why? If you and others had the power to decide who you belonged to, why didn't any of you decide to abandon your masters like you did to me!?" Sora demanded furiously. He had never been one to have outbursts, but what his blade was telling him boiled him to his very core.

_That was... quite harsh, master, _Regna replied, upset. _The reason I, and my brethren, decided not to leave our masters was because we agreed upon their views. We fought for what our masters believed in because we believed in them as well._

"What could have possibly been so important that your masters would all kill each other to reach an answer!?"

_That is better shown than told, master. If you wish to know, then through that doorway you will find the answer. So go, travel down into the darkness of your heart. Make your way to its nadir and face the full extent of your destiny. _Regna's voice resounded with a tone of severity.

"But what about - "

_Go! In the deepest recesses of your heart you will find some unbearable truths, but they must be known in order to prepare you for what lies ahead._

Without another word Sora made his way across the immense bridge of light before stopping to stand a few feet away from the massive door. The Kingdom Key quickly aimed itself at the door and fired a lance of white hot energy, unlocking the door with its magic. With a harsh grinding sound, the door opened slightly to reveal… nothing. The opening was filled with a radiating darkness and nothing more. Sora stared in apprehension, unsure of whether or not he should continue.

Regna sensed this and the Kingdom Key trembled in Sora's hands to gain his attention. _Do not fear, master. Were you not told once before? Even in the deepest darkness, there still exists a glimmer of light. You shall be that light within the darkness and I, your protector._

Sora felt a slight touch of relief from Regna's words and grunted an acknowledgment before dashing into the blackness. With a sudden lurch in his stomach, he felt the ground give way beneath his feet and he plummeted into the void. The descent was short lived as another platform quickly came into view before Sora landed softly upon the stained glass of a second mural. On it was the depiction of a sleeping young woman with flowing brown hair encased in a glass-like bubble. The soft glow emanating from the floor seemed to amplify the woman's beauty as Sora stared in wonder.

_Beautiful, is she not? _Regna chimed wistfully, snapping Sora out of his daze.

"Hmm? Oh… Yes, I guess she is. Erm, who is she?" he wondered aloud, running a hand through the messy brown spikes of his hair.

_She is my first master, and y - _

A thunderous boom echoed throughout the blackness and the glass tower quaked violently for a brief moment.

_Haa? Master, I'm sorry, but there is no time for this! _The Kingdom Key forcefully aimed itself towards one end of the platform and fired another lance of energy. The beam collected on the floor before erupting upwards in the form of a second, smaller doorway.

_Quickly now, enter this doorway and all will become clear to you! _Regna's voice shrilled with urgency.

"What's going on?" Sora asked, rushing towards the opening.

_He is trying to force his way in! Go now, you shall be on your own. I'll remain here and hold him off!_

Sora stopped in his tracks mere inches from the doorway and turned back to the center of the platform. "What do you mean, 'force his way in'? Who!?"

_Oh, blasted child! _Regna shrieked and with a burst of energy the Kingdom Key wrenched itself from Sora's grip, sending him backwards into the door. Sora landed with a thud as the doorway before him sealed shut, leaving him in darkness.

For a few minutes, Sora adjusted to the sudden and absolute silence. He used the time to try and calm his heart. He didn't notice at the time, but the shock of that explosion felt like it should have hurt, in a distant way. There was only the quiet while darkness filled his senses before the intense quiet was broken by the soft sounds of cracking glass. Sora stood upright and searched about as the cracking grew louder when with a sudden explosion of color and sound the empty blackness shattered like a window pane. Sora instinctively covered his head as the shattering glass fell about and reformed into an image.

The scraping and crackling sounds ceased as Sora found himself standing within a large amphitheater. All around him he saw men and women seated along the desks arranged in a semi-circular fashion around a staging ground and behind it, a massive bench that held eight older looking men and women.

For a moment, Sora didn't realize that more than half of the occupants within the amphitheater weren't human, or at least he had never seen humans quite like this. They were pale skinned with black tattoo-like markings across their forms, small fangs protruded from their closed lips, and all of them had jet black hair that complimented their glowing yellow eyes. Sora recoiled at the sight and for a moment believed them to be Heartless before his attention was brought to the fact that these creatures, along with the humans that sat with them, were all staring attentively at him.

He backed away slowly from the stares when he bumped softly into another figure behind him. He turned to see a younger looking version of the woman in the mural staring determinedly at the men and women who sat in the large bench. And all at once, as if someone had pushed the play button on a paused recording, the amphitheater was booming with the sounds of hundreds of arguing voices.

"How can you all agree to let a child face these nightmares!?"

"You've all gone mad! She is our hope for the future!"

"Us, mad!? It is _you_ who would allow a child to commit suicide!"

These and other outbursts were all Sora could make out in the chaos when one of the men at the bench stood and yelled for silence. All at once the audience fell silent and the elderly man gestured to the young girl.

"It has not been an easy decision for any of the council members," the man began, "And, to be honest, putting a child at the forefront of our efforts against the Heartless is, to say the least, _despicable_. But try as we might, the Blade that has chosen this child of the light, Lilium Sonia, will not be taken from her. She has decided to fight against this plague of her own volition."

There was an uproar of protest at the elder's words, some siding with him and others against. It seemed as though a riot would soon break out when Lilium turned to face them and materialized the Kingdom Key into her grasp, silencing the crowd once more.

"I shall not mince words with you all since it is quite clear that many of you will still stand against this decision even if it _is_ my own," Lilium declared, "But what Master Khael speaks of is true. This Blade, this…Kingdom Key…has chosen me to be its rightful wielder and it will not allow any other to use it."

Sora half expected the audience to break out once more in opposition but instead they remained silent as Lilium continued.

"Regardless if your opposition is for my personal safety or otherwise, _I _have been entrusted with an enormous responsibility. I wonder myself, how you would all view me if you knew I had the potential to stop this madness but I refused to do so out of concern for my own well being." Lilium stamped her foot and shot a finger at the audience. "You would all see me as a coward and a fool! Well, I tell you now that _I _am no fool! I shall throw myself at the heart of this plague and _destroy_ it at the cost of my own life if I must!"

She sighed softly and looked towards the people imploringly. "True, I am still but a child. So I ask that the Grand Council grant me aid in my fight. I expect nothing however, and regardless of your decisions I will still go and fight the Heartless."

Master Khael, still standing, observed the audience and said loudly, "All who agree to aid this valiant soul, please stand."

The elders that sat alongside Khael stood immediately and watched as the rest of the audience followed suit without another word. Lilium beamed proudly at the men and women before bowing low.

"Thank you, elders. I swear to you, nay, the Kingdoms of Light and Darkness, Elysium and Nercodia, that I will destroy the evil that plagues our people."

Sora watched the young girl in admiration and smiled brightly as the elder man named Khael was about to say something when his voice was cut off by a sharp garbled sound followed by a thunderous boom. It resounded in Sora's chest like before, followed by the sensation that wasn't quite pain. The images distorted, colors fusing into others and shapes around Sora dissolving and reforming into another setting.

When all stood still once more, Sora was face to face with a massive Heartless upon a desert plateau. He immediately panicked and jumped back as he called the Kingdom Key into his hand… Nothing. The image started to play as the Heartless charged straight for Sora and for the first time in a long while, Sora felt completely helpless as he prepared for his demise when something glinted in the sky above the Heartless.

A young woman came hurtling downward and struck the Heartless' head, resulting in a massive explosion that disintegrated the monster. The dust settled quickly and the woman emerged crouched low in fatigue, victorious. Sora immediately recognized her as the young girl he had seen moments before, only she was now several years older and had grown into maturity. The clanking of metal resounded behind Sora and he turned to see an armored figure run past him towards Lilium.

"Miss Lilium, are you alright?" A young male voice emanated from within the visor of the armor as the figure attempted to help Lilium.

"I should be asking you that question. You were, after all, the one who sustained the brunt of that creature's last attack," said Lilium softly with a grunt, standing up while using the young man's hand and her Kingdom Key for support.

"Oh, I'll be fine, Miss Lilium, my armor's strong enough to keep me alive against those freaks." The man nodded.

Lilium chuckled softly at the man's reply, "Please, don't call me miss. It makes me sound so old, I'm only eighteen. Besides, you don't sound much older than me."

The young man laughed warmly and lifted the lower portion of his visor, exposing his mouth. "I figured I should show some respect to ya. You are still older than me after all since I just turned seventeen." He gingerly patted Lilium on the back with a smile. "I gotta say that you savin' my life like that and then blasting that creep to bits had to be the highlight of my day!"

Lilium beamed at the compliment and nodded. "Well, I'm glad to be of help to a fellow wielder… Uh, what was your name?"

The boy smiled and jabbed a thumb to his chest. "The name's Reivatia, sweetheart. But I want you to call me Rei, okay, Lilium?"

Lilium continued to smile as a light blush came across her face. "Alright then, Rei, then I ask that you address me as Lili if you don't mind. I'm actually quite glad that I've found you. Of course, I never thought I would have found what I was desperately searching for this far out in the Kimotoman Badlands."

Rei grinned slyly and made a gesture of mock surprise. "_Desperately_ searching? Trying to find a knight in shining armor to sweep you off your feet? I think I can fit the bill."

"I don't think that is quite what I meant by that," Lilium giggled, "I meant I was searching for another wielder of the Keyblade. How long have you had your blade?"

With a grin, Rei materialized a white and gold blade into his grasp. The guard of the Keyblade was humbly designed with a teardrop shaped curve that encompassed the grip of the weapon with three blue, spherical crystals embedded into it. The blade that emerged from the hilt formed a wave-like pattern before ending in the shape of a sharp, curved tip that made it resemble the blade of a halberd.

"Lumen here appeared to me about three months ago. It sure does look a lot more intimidating than your Keyblade, that's for sure," he replied cockily.

"Such a shame all that intimidation is lost when the wielder is a reckless boy who can't control the power he possesses," Lilium retorted.

"Now that's a low blow to my ego," Rei muttered mockingly.

Lilium snickered at the comment. "I'm terribly sorry for your ego. But you do lack refinement in your skill."

"So how do you think I'll get better at this? Are you gonna teach me how to use my powers?" Rei asked hopefully.

Lilium shook her head quickly. "Oh, I am no teacher, Rei. But, perhaps you and I can work together? We may be able to learn a bit from one another."

"Suggesting we team up, huh? You don't have to ask twice, Lili!" Rei smiled brightly and held out his hand. "Partners then?"

"Partners!" Lilium smiled and shook Rei's hand.

"Now let's get back to Kimotama City, I'm beat," Rei said as he led Lilium off towards one end of the plateau.

"Do you have relations in Kimotama, Rei?" Lilium asked.

"You betcha. My mom, dad, and my little brother and sister, you'll like them." Rei smiled.

"You have quite a few loved ones that need your protecting, Rei. I trust you shan't let them down."

Rei hummed in agreement before facing Lilium beside him. "Do you always speak so formally, Lili? It's sorta buggin' me out."

"It's how I was raised!" Lilium laughed.

The images around Sora froze once more and distorted as another boom ripped the air before they reformed again into another setting. Once again, it echoed in his chest with the almost pain. This place Sora now found himself in was a dark landscape. The sky was a dark purple shade with blackened clouds lining the sky and the ground was a drab grey with odd plant life extruding from its surface.

Sora quickly scanned the area and found two armored figures standing in front of a trio of the pale skinned humans as they defended them against a small group of Shadow Heartless. The images began to play as Sora watched the two figures make short work of the Shadows.

"Oh, thank you, kind warriors. I feared for the worst just now; it must be a grace from fate that you two would appear in this place," a young, pale-skinned woman said.

The smaller armored figure removed their helmet and let their dark brown locks fall around its head.

"No trouble at all," Lilium replied.

"It seems your friend here has bitten off more than he can chew," she muttered, gesturing towards an unconscious young man.

"Lili, stop foolin' around! That big Heartless bastard is still out here, ya know," the other armored figure called out, scanning the landscape for any hostilities.

"Rei, be quiet. This one seems to be another wielder," Lilium shot back.

"Well, wake his ass up! That Heartless won't hide forever."

Lilium rolled her eyes and began to gently shake the unconscious man. With a pained groan, he began to regain consciousness as his golden eyes refocused on his surroundings. He sat up with a start and looked at his other two companions.

"Freya, Galvan, you're both alright," he sighed with relief when his attention turned to Lilium and Rei, "My, my, my. The great Lilium and Reivatia have come to our rescue."

"Great is too strong a word, my friend," Lilium smiled, "And what might your name be?"

"I am Khael." The young man smiled.

Rei scoffed at the name and turned briefly towards the man on the floor. "You're kidding. Khael as in, the Grand Council Elder, Master Khael?"

Khael nodded. "Yes, Master Khael is my great-grandfather."

"Strange, I had heard that you had died of illness," Lilium muttered, "How long have you had it?"

"Almost a year now," Khael sighed, "My family is nothing but a bunch of hypocrites! They learned of my gift and my grandfather ordered that I be put under lock and key for my safety!"

He snarled, bearing his fangs. "What fools they all are. I deeply felt that I had to follow in yours and Reivatia's footsteps and fight against the Heartless. So I did what I had to. I ran away and began traveling with my friends here. And what did my family do? They disowned me! The lie they made up about my death was proof enough. They couldn't accept the choice I had made!"

"That's a horrible story kid, I feel for you." Rei nodded. "But we've got bigger fish to fry right now. Ya mind telling me what you and your friends are doing in the Abyssal Plains?"

Khael grunted and helped himself up. "Freya, Galvan, and I hunt the Heartless in the dark realm. We heard rumors of a massive Heartless roaming the plains out here so we sought to exterminate it. I fear we may have misgauged its strength."

"Clearly," Lilium muttered, "We should get to safety, this is no place for mortals like us."

A loud roar in the distance grabbed the attention of everyone in the group, including Sora. Out on the peak of a distant hillside a massive Heartless reared its head towards the group, its glowing eyes burning brightly in the blackened sky.

"Alright, target sighted!" Rei shouted and grabbed Khael's arm, pulling him beside him. "Okay, Khael, are you ready for round two!?"

"Are you mad? That creature nearly killed me and my companions!" Khael shouted in opposition.

"Heh, you didn't have back up last time!" Rei replied, "Lili, I'd ask you to help but you'll probably just say 'these people's safety should be our concern'. So get those two back to town and Khael and I'll deal with this pest."

"Don't be foolish!" Lilium said, standing beside Rei, "Giruvegan is miles away. No, I'd rather fight alongside my friend."

"And don't think we'll let our little Khael fight with strangers," Freya announced.

"Freya and I may not be wielders but we can hold our own," Galvan added.

"Well, well. We've got ourselves a little group now, Lili. Looks like you've got more people you need to lead," Rei muttered.

"Don't remind me," Lilium sighed, "Alright, follow my orders and we may just live through this day!"

Another boom resounded, this time much more violent than the last as it shook the very ground itself. Sora seized his chest as it actually _hurt_ that time; a sharp, anxious pain in his heart that set his body trembling. The image once again distorted and this time struggled to remain stable as it reformed once more. Sora nearly vomited at the sight he saw, hundreds of armored corpses littered a barren flatland, all surrounding a destroyed temple that stood upon the only outcropping for miles. And high above in the sky hung an ominous rift that seemed to be slowly expanding across the heavens. The image played and a sharp wind began to cut across the land and upwards into the rift in the sky.

There was a sharp crack of metal and Sora turned to see another armored figure hurtle backwards through the air and into a stone column. The figure stood quickly, lifted the lower portion of its visor, coughed up a mouthful of blood, and faced two other figures as it breathed raggedly.

"Rei, enough! You've lost your war so just give up already!" A male voice came from the taller of the other two figures.

Rei's mouth pulled into a vicious grin as he laughed scornfully. "Gee, Khael, I didn't know I was dead already."

"Rei, enough I say!" A woman's voice came from the third figure. "It's already begun. What could you possibly hope to do?"

"Oh, I've got a few back up plans _Lili_," Rei snarled, "Too bad they all end with both of you _dead_!"

Rei suddenly lunged forward in an attempt to attack Lilium but was impeded by Khael. The two exchanged a quick series of blows before locking blades. Sora felt an intense aura emanate from both men as they tried to overpower one another. With a sudden twist, the two men broke apart and Khael recovered the quickest, slashing horizontally at Rei's head. Rei, however, ducked, spun about, and smashed his Keyblade into Khael's chest, shattering his armor and sending him flying backwards.

"You're next, Lili," Rei grunted, and charged at the woman. Lilium stood her ground and reacted quickly to each of Rei's attacks, deflecting one after the other.

"Twenty years and you _still_ lack refinement!" Lilium shouted, lashing out several lightning fast blows, one of which clipped against Rei's chest and ripped his armor to bits. Rei grunted in pain and lunged out at Lilium, grabbing her arm before she could let loose another blow.

"I don't need refinement to kill you, Lili." He sneered and smashed the guard of his blade into the side of her head. With a loud yelp, she collapsed to the floor, blood draining from the crushed portion of her helmet. Rei stood over her and raised his blade into the air ready to deal the finishing blow.

Sora watched in utter shock, unable to do anything for the woman that lay helpless on the floor when he noticed Rei's arm tremble. For a moment, Sora could not be sure, it seemed as though a tear escaped the upper portions of Rei's helmet as he hesitated to kill his longtime friend.

"I… I'm so sorry, Lili." Rei shuddered and brought his blade down.

With a loud crunch of metal and bone, Rei's arm was broken at his shoulder by Khael's blade. Rei screamed in agony as he dropped his Keyblade and turned to face Khael who was already mid-swing with a second attack. Khael's sword cut along Rei's exposed chest with such force that he spun wildly about as he fell to the floor in a heap. Rei clutched the chest wound tightly as he tried to scramble away but Khael was already bearing down on him. He turned his blade downward and raised it high to deliver a quick death to the bleeding man who tried to shuffle away.

"Khael, stop!" Lilium shouted, distracting Khael as he missed Rei's head by mere centimeters.

"'Stop', what do you mean, 'stop', Lili!?" Khael roared, "He almost killed you! Don't tell me to hesitate to kill our enemy!"

Lilium rose to her feet with a groan and removed her helmet before casting a cure spell on the gash on her face.

"Even you know that Rei isn't our foe," Lilium said softly and motioned for Khael to move aside who obliged with a grunt. Lilium stared at Rei imploringly with her calm blue eyes penetrating the visor he still wore.

"You hesitated. Why, Rei?" Lilium asked calmly.

Rei grunted in pain and coughed up a bit more blood. "Don't get me wrong, Lili. I _will_ kill you. I'm just not a cruel enough bastard to do it without taking a moment to recognize that it's my friend I have to do this to."

"You don't have to kill neither I nor Khael," Lilium replied softly, "Please, won't you side with this cause?"

Rei laughed, repulsed, at the request. "I think you know the answer to that. I won't be a part of this crazy scheme you cooked up, Lili!"

"Why do fight so hard to reject this decision, Rei!?" Khael spoke up.

"Do you really… argh… really have to ask that stupid question? It's wrong! All of it! Is wrong!" Rei grunted as he slowly healed the injury to his chest so he wouldn't bleed out.

"How could the salvation of all beings in the realms be wrong, Rei!? Answer me that! What is so flawed about our choice?" Lilium's voice began to crack as tears welled in her eyes.

Rei's lips tightened in fury. "You call the extermination of every living person salvation!? Is that price really worth destroying the Heartless and the Nobodies!?"

"They won't be exterminated, Rei! Their hearts will be collected into the new realm that we have forged!" Lilium screamed and pointed to the expanding rift in the sky.

"We, their protectors, will remain intact as we pass on into our new world. There… we will build life anew. A new existence devoid of pain, suffering, or evil! The Heartless and the Nobodies will be no more!" Khael smiled proudly at Rei who still lay on the floor.

"Khael's right, Rei, don't you see that what we strive for is paradise and not damnation?" Lilium pleaded.

Rei remained silent for a moment before slowly breaking into a fit of hysterical laughter, "You're both completely nuts! Heeheehahahaha! _We will build life anew! An existence devoid of pain, suffering, or evil!_ Bah! Yeah, that'll really work! What about the people whose hearts you gather huh!? How do expect to give them new bodies after their originals die!?"

"With the power of the Keyblades, we can grant new life to the hearts that would be sheltered there, Rei!" Lilium replied sharply.

"Yeah!? And what about the darkness that exists within every heart!? That darkness is what makes evil! How do you stop that!? How do you stop the Heartless from coming back!?"

"Simple… We'll only allow the purest of souls to live. The others are just garbage that shouldn't be allowed to exist! We'll dispose of them and the Heartless will never return," Khael said with an air of satisfaction.

"What gives you the right?" Rei said in an almost inaudible whisper, before his voice built to a roar, "What gives you the right!?"

"We are creating an Eden in which to live, Rei. We cannot allow any impurities to surface if we are to - "

"We are not _gods,_ Lili!" Rei screamed, cutting Lilium off.

"We are their protectors, nothing more! It's them who should decide how to live their lives! Not us!"

"Don't be stupid, Rei. If we do that, then people will lead evil lives and that evil will grow again. It's too late for this existence to do anything this drastic. We need to start with a clean slate," Khael interjected.

"No order without chaos, _Khael_. All this talk of a life without pain or suffering is just a dream! All you'd get is a hollow existence from this. Is that what you both really think is needed for the realms?"

"Yes, we do Rei. It's is our only option to rid ourselves of this never-ending plague and you know this!" Lilium said with a shudder.

"You have kids, Lili! They won't survive this either. Do you think they'll be the same when you bring them back in that twisted world of yours!?" Rei scathed.

Lilium could not hold back the few tears that ran down her face. "Shut up! Do you think this is easy for me!? To know what I can lose through this!? I have no choice! The Heartless have never been completely destroyed no matter how hard we've tried! And the Nobodies are only making each day that much harder to live through! This is the only way to be completely rid of them once and for all!"

"You'd even sacrifice your family…" Rei scoffed, "You're crueler than I ever thought you could be, Lili."

"What would you know about sacrifice!? You have no family, Rei!" Khael snarled and aimed his Keyblade at him. "Because of you, Freya is dead! Your actions killed the woman I loved and you lie there talking of sacrifice when you have known no one to love."

Rei scowled. "You're wrong… I have known love. But that love died when the person I knew to be so strong, to never give up in the face of despair, to put everyone's life before hers, decided that the easy way out was the destruction of our existence. But it only makes it that much harder to kill you, Lili."

Lilium clenched her fists tightly and let out a ragged sob. "Please Rei, reconsider. I beg you… This won't have to end like this. You can help us build our - "

"Enough, Lili!" Rei yelled, "I won't be a part of this! That is my final answer! So you and Khael can both go to the hell you create and rot in it!"

Lilium's eyes opened wide and stared menacingly at Rei. With an outstretched hand she materialized the Kingdom Key and raised it above her head. "Goodbye… _Reivatia_."

She began to swing downwards when Sora heard Regna shriek suddenly. The Kingdom Key forcefully aimed itself at Khael, blasting him with a lance of energy and sending him flying backwards. The Blade then dispersed and reappeared in Rei's grasp.

"R-Regna, you…" Lilium stammered as Rei rose to his feet and faced Lilium.

_Regna! _An unfamiliar voice roared and the memory was shattered under the force of a tremendous boom that knocked Sora to the floor. With a flash of lightning, Sora reappeared on the platform he left the Kingdom Key on to find it sliding across the floor.

He quickly stood up and recovered the sword and was met head on by a large globe of light. A wave of energy sent him flying back across the platform where he crashed to the floor only a few feet away from its edge. Sora quickly got back on his feet and faced the light only to be grasped by an invisible force and lifted into the air.

_Do not harm my master, Lumen! _Regna yelled and the Kingdom Key in Sora's hands dispersed into a beam of light and shot out at the sphere. There was massive burst of energy from the sphere and the Kingdom Key was shot back to the floor, causing it to slide with a sickening scrape.

_Don't be foolish, Regna. I have no intention of harming this one, nor do I intend to harm you. I just came to observe the transcendence for it is inadvisable to perform it alone. I wonder, though, why you tried to keep me from coming in. You know that I have very little patience for such games. _A deep voice emanated from the sphere.

"Lumen…" Sora muttered and quickly recalled the memory. "You're Rei's Keyblade!"

_How… do you know of this? _Lumen questioned threateningly.

_Oh, master… You foolish boy… _Regna muttered dismally.

_Regna… Pray tell me how your master knows of your past. _Lumen asked sarcastically.

_I shall not lie to you. I was showing him my memories of - _

_Did I not specifically instruct you to never show him such things!? _Lumen shouted.

_You do not command me, Lumen. Nor do you intimidate me. _Regna replied sharply.

_That is not the point, Regna. Why, why do you go against the plan Rei set into motion? _Lumen sighed, attempting to maintain a calm demeanor.

"What in the world happened to them?" Sora cut in, "To Lilium, to Rei, and Khael? They looked like they were close friends, so why did Rei betray them?"

_Humph! That's not for you to know. Or perhaps you do know and are confused. Tell me, how much did you learn, what did you see?_ Lumen asked.

"All I saw was bits and pieces, something kept breaking the memories apart before I could learn anything," Sora muttered, "I saw Lilium as a little girl in front of some sort of council. When she met Rei and then Khael. And then…" Sora broke off as he pondered the final bloody images. "I saw so many dead, and the three of them were in the middle of it all. Something was in the sky, I don't know… Lilium called it paradise before she tried to kill Rei. Regna… You betrayed Lilium. Why?"

_Stay your tongue, Regna, your master has fortunately learned nothing of Lilium's insane design. It is better left alone, young man._ Said Lumen.

_Do not presume that this is better left alone, Lumen. He has a right to know, to be prepared for what lies ahead. You've said it yourself, the time is drawing near, and even I have felt it. _Regna replied.

_Your master has a right to nothing! Rei insured their survival but that does not mean he needs to know of it. No, just follow Rei's instruction and this will be done without any difficulty._

_Rei is dead, Lumen! I shall not allow my child to go blindly into this madness without preparation. _Regna's voice was stern, her decision made.

Lumen began to laugh mockingly. _Oh, yes... My master is well and dead, I personally saw to his eradication by his own wishes. Your feelings betray you, Regna. You care quite deeply for your master. A flaw you still carry after this entire time, very well!_ The invisible bonds that held Sora released him and let him fall back to the ground.

_Your actions lead me to question if your master is really ready for the transcendence. So let's make a wager, Regna. If your master really is ready, then by all means, show him what you believe will aid him. If not, then we will follow Rei's design and your master will be denied that truth. _Lumen said with finality.

Regna remained silent for a moment. _Very well, Lumen. A test of strength it is, then?_

_Of course, there is no other way to gauge this. _Lumen replied.

The sphere began to distort and with a flash of light, a tall armored figure stood high. _This form of my wielder should do suitably for this test. _Lumen muttered, materializing himself into the figure's hands.

The Kingdom Key appeared in Sora's hands. _Master, do your best but do not expect to emerge victorious. Lumen is like I and will not tire as you would. But do not fear. This is a test. He will not kill you but make no mistake; he will not hold back and any mistakes on your part will result in extreme injury. Make me proud._

"Great…" Sora muttered dejectedly and took a defensive stance.

_Are you ready yet? _Lumen grunted impatiently.

"Bring it."

Without another word, Lumen dashed forward and unleashed a blinding flurry of slashes that were quickly deflected one after the other. Sora began back-stepping as he continued to block the attacks when he unleashed a small burst of energy from his body. The energy blasted against Lumen, causing him to stumble back, giving Sora a chance to strike. Sora lunged with a heavy swing as Lumen leapt back across the platform to avoid the attack.

"Freeze!" Sora yelled and fired a large sphere of ice across the battleground at Lumen. Lumen ran at the spell and let it crash into his blade. The ice spread quickly across the Keyblade as Lumen ran it across the ground and releasing a massive trail of icicles back at his opponent. Sora immediately rolled to one side, narrowly avoiding the ice when Lumen's blade cut through the barricade between them and shattered it into a chaotic storm of glittering pieces. The two continued to exchange blows, neither giving into the other, until they locked blades.

_Very impressive, boy, you've developed quite a bit of skill. _Lumen grunted, still trying to overpower Sora.

"Heh, you haven't seen anything yet! Fire!" Sora yelled, causing large spheres of flame and magma to erupt around him and pummel Lumen senseless. Lumen was thrown backwards in a heap as Sora brought the Kingdom Key close to his chest while crossing his arms.

"Light, give me strength!" He roared and a massive surge of energy erupted from his being. The Kingdom Key suddenly fragmented into the Oathkeeper and Oblivion blades which hovered closely around Sora who levitated a foot off the ground.

Lumen began to laugh proudly. _Now I see why Regna puts so much faith in you. Being able to perform something of an incomplete transcendence is quite an accomplishment. Bravo. Now let me show you what a full transformation looks like._

Sora suddenly felt a strong surge of power gather rapidly into Lumen. "Regna, what's happening?"

_Exactly as he told you, master. Now you've done it, this is going to get very dangerous, master, so take caution, _Regna replied.

Lumen roared loudly into the darkness as the armored figure began to change dramatically. Large wing-like protrusions erupted from its ankles and angled upwards along the outside of its legs as similar protrusions emerged from its wrists in the same fashion. And from its back, nine small teardrop-shaped blades surfaced in a U-shaped array and hovered a small distance away as the armored figure began to levitate.

Sora decided not to hesitate and soared at Lumen, Keyblades spinning rapidly in front of him. The blades were stopped short by the nine fragments that launched forward and smashed into them. Lumen suddenly grabbed Sora by the throat and blasted him away with a surge of light. Sora recovered quickly and brought his blades to bear as he fired multiple blasts of ice at Lumen. Lumen charged headlong at Sora, blocking the frigid blasts with the blades he commanded before sending them out to attack him.

Sora snaked around the blades and blocked others as the two warriors clashed in midair. Finally Sora noticed an opening and launched the Oblivion into Lumen's face, breaking his concentration and causing the small blades to fall away. Sora did not give him reprieve as the Oathkeeper smashed into his chest and propelled him above Sora. Then both blades hammered into him rapidly before releasing a final surge of energy that blasted him even higher.

Lumen, finally given a chance to recover, righted himself and summoned the blades back to him before diving down at Sora. The small blades swirled about Lumen as he fell, enveloping him in a swirling mass of light. Sora dashed away from Lumen's trajectory before he impacted into the ground, resulting in a massive explosion of flames that scorched the entire platform. Sora managed to avoid being burned and realized Lumen was not in the epicenter of the blast.

Lumen suddenly appeared behind him as he turned to face the swarm of blades that sought to tear him to pieces. He continued to block the chaotic storm of attacks as the two flitted about the area in frenzy. Another opening made itself known to Sora and he wasted no time attacking Lumen's weak point but instead his blade met air as Lumen teleported away.

He reappeared just off of the platform, his nine blades glowing intensely with white-hot energy. Sora let out a small gasp as the blades fired simultaneous lances of light at him. He dodged about the arena as the lances met the floor and detonated in small but violent explosions. His efforts continued for what seemed like minutes as the never ending barrage of lasers attempted to strike him. One finally clipped his thigh and seared his flesh causing him to cry out in pain. The blades finally ceased firing and Lumen returned to his original state as he alighted onto the platform.

"Bastard…" Sora snarled and leapt into the air and began to twirl his entire body about. The Oathkeeper and Oblivion followed closely and began to spin as well, charging themselves as Sora's body started to glow with the same intensity as Lumen's blades. The three spinning figures slowly merged to into one massive sphere of light and began to pulse rapidly, firing arcing orbs of energy that homed in on Lumen.

It was the others turn to dodge now but was met with less success as one of the orbs collided with him, allowing the others to follow suit and batter the entity as well. Finally, the sphere of light imploded into Sora's body as his Keyblades reverted back into the Kingdom Key. He grasped the blade tightly and aimed at his opponent.

"Take this!" he roared and fired a dozen red and gold beams simultaneously.

The beams spread out before converging on Lumen. The beams impacted, however, on a reflecting spell Lumen casted a second before impact and ricocheted back at Sora and blasted him back across the floor. Sora landed hard on his chest and grunted in pain as he watched Lumen walk slowly towards him.

_I do believe your master is in quite a predicament, Regna. Why not try and help him now? _Lumen chimed mockingly.

_Right… Master, this may be painful the first time around but should you manage to accept this gift, my full power will be yours to command. _Regna whispered and the Kingdom Key suddenly burst into tiny globes of light that entered Sora's body.

There was a loud humming sound as the light began to spread slowly around Sora's body. He began to feel a strong burning sensation in his arms and legs and gritted his teeth against the pain. His ears began to pop and he heard something in him snap as the pain began to increase.

"Argh! Re-Regna… wha-? It hurts! It hurts!" he yelped, and clenched his fist as he started to scream, "Stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it! Ahhh! Please! Stop it!" He howled continually and the humming increased. Sora's pain threshold was shattered and he let out a blood-curdling cry as he writhed in pain.

_Regna, his body is rejecting it! Stop this now, you are going to kill him!_ Lumen ordered.

_I-I can't! My power is going out of control!_ Regna shrieked.

Lumen quickly knelt in front of Sora and placed a hand against his forehead. He muttered an indiscernible phrase and Sora felt the pain quickly recede from his body. Sora felt sick as his vision began to blur and focus over and over again in his daze.

_Master, I am… I'm so sorry! I did not wish to cause you such harm. I-I believed you were ready._ Regna's voiced cracked.

_His heart is ready, Regna. Of that you can be sure and proud of, _Lumen reassured her, _but his body still requires tempering. You should both be proud, for not even my master or even Lilium was capable of reaching this point at such an early age._

_He… failed didn't he? _Regna asked dejectedly.

Lumen sighed softly. _I'm afraid so. I do believe he will be fine on his own, though. Even without your knowledge of the past, he still has the support of his allies and more importantly… you, Regna. I must go. Again, I do apologize._

Sora felt Lumen's presence vanish and he was left alone with Regna, still nauseous from the painful experience as he lay on the floor. He felt something warm press against his forehead and felt immediate comfort as he drifted quickly to sleep.

_Master, please rest. You did so well… I am very proud of you. _Regna sighed softly. _You remind me so much of her._

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Phew! That was fun. Took a long time to write this one out because of all the revisions I made to the original plot and because of the fact that college and work are consuming any free time that I have during the day that I only spend 30-40 minutes adding a little bit to my chapters at night.**

**I hope you all like this version of chap.2 better than last time's. Oh, I should get this out of the way right now…**

**Any readers who find a slight continuity error with this fic in accordance to the KH games please note that I am going by the storyline shown in KH and KHII and not their remix versions. I love KH but I will never shell out another 60$ just to get a few more scenes and whatnot that should have been there in the first place. Anyone who is hoping to see those three from the KHII special ending should know that I used their concept as inspiration only and will not have them appear whatsoever because I have no idea about what they are like and where they would fit into this fic.**

**Also, I know a lot of you out there are hoping to see Roxas or Namine or any other Org. XIII character but sadly the organization is dead and Roxas and Namine are really just Sora and Kairi. But don't worry though, those of you that read the original version of this fic should know that there are new Nobody characters to wreak havoc on Sora and company. You can read their profile descriptions in my profile.**

**Anyway, I hope you all enjoy and I would definitely appreciate a review from you. Also, if you like Tales of the Abyss then I ask that you check out my co-author's profile and read her fic. It's great stuff, in my opinion; her penname is Apakoha.**


	3. Radiant Garden

**Okay… so this is part one of three in the "Prologue Finale".**

**First and foremost, the rating of this fic has been upped to "M" for sensuality, some profanity, and the high level of graphic violence. Don't complain, just accept it.**

**Also a big thanks to my Co-Author Apakoha for helping me get through this bit of trouble I had during the writing of my chapter and for, of course, helping me write this. **

**Two notes before we begin: Rest assured that any and all questions about certain characters and groups that appear in this chapter will be answered during the chapters following the Prologue section.**

**Also: A reader was confused about the capabilities of the spirits within the Keyblades during the last chapter so let me clarify. While Lumen is indeed a Keyblade, he created a puppet of Rei in order to be wielded against Sora. That was only because he was within Sora's heart where real world rules don't apply too heavily meaning he cannot create puppets in the physical plane thus forcing the Blades to seek out masters.**

**Now let's begin!**

--

Chapter 3: Radiant Garden

_You remind me of her…_

Regna's voice echoed within Sora's consciousness with a wistful sigh. It almost made his heart break to hear the longing in her voice, for even the entities of absolute power which Sora had never even considered to be alive had harbored feelings for the mortals that wielded them. Deep inside he felt shameful, how naïve he was to never even consider the probability that the Keyblades were sapient. But more so he felt inadequate because he could not replace Lilium. The very fact that Regna still longed for the master she betrayed was proof enough.

"Sora?" Another female voice stirred him, breaking the pensive state he had drifted into. A soft hand grasped his shoulder and gently shook him. "Sora? Come on, you lazy bum, it's time to wake up."

Sora suddenly felt the soft press of flesh to his lips that was so warm and inviting that he could not resist pressing against it and gently returning the gesture. He opened his eyes lazily and gazed into the beautiful light blue ones that were Kairi's.

"Morning," he sighed with a smile. Kairi giggled and rested herself on Sora's chest, placing her head on one arm while toying with his hair with her free hand.

"Why is it that you only wake up with a kiss?" She smiled playfully.

"Your kisses are magic," Sora replied dreamily as he continued to gaze into Kairi's eyes, captivated by their beauty.

"Oh?" She smiled deviously and crawled up further until she was eye level with Sora. "And what sort of magic does my kiss have on you?"

"I can't describe it." He smiled and gently pressed his lips to hers, giving her lower lip a light nibble before pulling away. "What sort of magic does my kiss have on _you_?"

Kairi let out a small shudder, her face flushed as she gazed at her lover with a passionate fire burning in her eyes. "I can't describe…" she murmured and captured Sora in another kiss, lightly grasping and running a hand through his hair. The two continued to delight in the embrace they shared, gingerly kissing one another as Sora slipped a hand underneath the hem of Kairi's shirt and ran a his fingers along the soft, warm skin of her back. She let out a soft moan and pressed further into their embrace with increased fervor.

"Kairi…" Sora gasped between kisses.

"Hmm?"

"We… Should be… Getting ready…"

Kairi immediately broke the string of kisses and lowered her head to Sora's ear. "Ah, ah, ah, we still have plenty of time," she whispered playfully and lightly bit his ear.

--

The morning sun began to peek over the outer walls of Radiant Garden, bathing the city in its soft orange glow. The city itself was busier than usual, the people bustling about the streets with a new energy filling the air around town. The cold morning air was brisk as Sora and Kairi stepped out onto the gravel walkway of their home.

"Ahh… Love mornings like this," Sora said, covering up a yawn as he stretched and locked the door behind him. "Nice and cool. So, should we get going Kairi?"

"Hmm? Oh sorry what did you say, Sora?" Kairi turned abruptly and gave him a nervous smile.

Sora chuckled at her reaction. "Zoning out? Oh well, I'm about as excited as you are." He smiled and lightly grasped her hand. "We should get going or Leon's going to chew us out for being late."

The two walked along the city streets in silence taking in the energetic air from the people that bustled about. Radiant Garden had certainly come a long way since it had been reclaimed by Leon and the rest of the Committee. The ghost town that was left in ruins ten years ago had grown into a thriving metropolis five times bigger than it was when Leon and the beginnings of the Committee had reclaimed their home.

Kairi watched children scurry about in the nearby park as they helped their parents set up picnic tables, banners, and the like. Her attention focused on a lone little girl who was gleefully picking some of the many Radiant Blossoms that were the city's namesake. She couldn't help but smile and pause for a moment as she watched the child take the small bouquet to her mother and received a hug of affection in return.

"You know… I was thinking…" Sora whispered as he gently wrapped his arms around Kairi from behind, "Now that we've helped make a wonderful place to live… Why don't we start a family of our own?"

Kairi quickly turned and hugged him tightly. "Nothing in this life would make me happier than starting a family with you."

Sora smiled silently and returned the embrace.

"Ah, such romance between young lovers is so adorable. Isn't that right, Cait Sith?" The soft squeaks of a female Moogle interrupted their tender moment.

"Aye, Miss Hurdy, that it is, that it is," a small voice responded in a strange accent.

Sora and Kairi looked to their feet to find Hurdy the Moogle and the mechanical feline Cait Sith watching them with mischievous smiles on their faces.

"Oh hello, Hurdy and Cait." Kairi smiled. "What brings you two all the way down here?"

"Montblanc asked me to come and look for you," Hurdy answered

"Aye, and Reeve sent me as well. Didn't want ye two lollygaggin' about when there's a meetin' to be held at City Hall," Cait added and suddenly twitched with a low beeping sound. "Speakin' o' which, that'd be Reeve now."

The small cat turned away from the three and whispered a few responses to himself before turning back. "Bad news you two. The meeting's about to commence, I'd give ye around ten minutes or so."

"Oh man! City Hall's two miles away!" Sora exclaimed when Hurdy began to giggle loudly.

"Then why not use the Moogling?" she asked pointing to an unmanned Moogling post at the street corner. "I figured Montblanc sent me with Cait for a reason."

"Heh, I guess he figured we might run a bit late today," said Sora.

"Aw, thank you Hurdy," Kairi said as she bent low to pat the Moogle's pom-pom.

"Don't mention it!" Hurdy smiled and led them to the post. "Now stand still, you three! One, two, three!" In a flash of glimmering light Sora, Kairi, and Cait Sith were whisked away as Hurdy stayed behind, waving them goodbye.

The small Moogle fluttered her wings and hovered for a moment before dropping back to the ground. "Ahh! How does cousin Gurdy keep that up all day?" She sighed and decided to walk in favor of flying.

--

A flash and whir were all that Sora could see and hear when he, Kairi, and Cait emerged from their little shortcut and into a large plaza. He personally never liked using the Moogling system much as he always felt a bit dizzy after going through it. Kairi on the other hand, always enjoyed it and never seemed to be phased by the trips.

"Oh, that bit of Moogle magic never goes well for my poor stomach," Cait Sith groaned, causing Sora to look at him questioningly.

"I thought you were a mach - "

"Oh, no time for questions, lad, the meeting will be starting soon!" Cait Sith interrupted as he scurried off towards a set of steps leading up into a large building while Sora and Kairi followed closely behind.

Sora would have loved to stay and watch Cait's humorous attempts to climb the steps on his own but there were more important things to worry about. That, and Kairi had already picked up the mechanical fur-ball and placed him on her shoulders.

"Why, thank you, Missus… uh… Well, I'll be, I've never learned of your last names, Miss Kairi," Cait chuckled.

"You don't need to be so formal, Cait Sith, our first names work just fine." Sora smiled, holding a door open for his wife.

"But tha' still doesn't answer my ques - "

"Yo, Sora! Not going to hold a door for just your wife, are ya?" The sudden yell of a young woman caught the two by surprise as they wheeled about to find Yuffie fighting her way inside with a large box in her arms. Sora quickly relieved her of the package and let her in as she huffed in relief.

"Phew! Thanks, Sora," she sighed and turned quickly back towards the door. "Oh wait, Riku was right behind me."

"I told you not to overdo it but do you ever listen?" Riku sighed as he entered the building.

"Hey now, I'm a big girl, I can handle a measly package once in a while," Yuffie scoffed with a grin.

"So what's in these boxes?" Sora asked, placing it on the floor and attempting to open it before Yuffie placed her foot on its lid.

"Just some decorations for the orphanage next to the Seventh Heaven. Me and Kairi are going to head on over and meet Tifa at the bar." Yuffie smiled.

"Then why bring them to City Hall?"

"Because Sora, the orphanage is clear on the other side of town from where I live. I was running late so I decided to use the Moogling to get here and I didn't have time to drop them off at the bar."

"Ye all have no time left, kiddos. The meeting started two minutes ago," Cait blurted in an almost inappropriately cheerful tone.

"Aw, crap!" The group swore in unison and rushed themselves into a nearby elevator.

"Fifteenth floor, please," Sora muttered to the attending moogle as he placed the box on the floor. "So… You guys excited about today?"

"Ha! How can we not be?" Riku laughed. "Ten years and this run down hunk of land is finally back to the way it was. It's only right we celebrate with a city-wide bash!"

"You're telling me," Yuffie smiled. "But from the stories Cid used to tell, Radiant Garden is almost five times bigger than it was when I was a kid."

"Really?" Cait asked, looking up at the ninja from the floor.

"You bet! I mean, we never even had a spaceport back then and we're starting up a new division to our police force too!"

"Oh yeah… They're calling themselves the Turks, right?" Riku asked nonchalantly. "Let's hope they don't get on a power trip like Seifer's disciplinary squad or whatever the hell they called themselves."

"Nah, not happening, the organizers for the Turks are very responsible. We're inducting them into the Committee today." Yuffie smiled.

"Hey, I think me and Kairi met one of those organizers the other day," Sora mused as he tried to remember the person. "Oh yeah, he was setting up a shop downtown. I think his name was Valentine or something."

"Vincent!" Yuffie almost beamed at the mention of the name. "Yeah, I met him when he first arrived. He's a little quiet compared to that red headed guy but not as much as the blonde or bald guy. But he's a sweet guy… Not to mention good looking."

"Hmm…" Kairi hummed in amusement.

"What?"

Kairi giggled slightly and looked at Riku. "I sort of thought you two would get together one of these days."

Riku and Yuffie both locked eyes for a moment and smiled.

"Nah! Not my type!" they answered cheerfully as they laughed.

The lift stopped with a ding and let the group out into a small lobby. They allowed themselves a quick hello to the receptionist as they darted into the halls towards the assigned meeting room.

"Sorry we're late. There were some things that needed to be taken care of and…" Sora's voice drifted into silence as he walked into the room that was nearly half empty. Only Leon, Cid, Merlin, Reeve, and Montblanc the Moogle were present.

Leon gave them a questioning look and smiled. "Don't worry guys, you're not late. In fact, you're all about five minutes early."

"Wha - but Cait said the meeting started!" Yuffie exclaimed and then shot her gaze at the mechanical cat that had hopped up onto the table. "You little liar!"

Cait laughed in amusement. "Ah, I couldn't help myself to a bit of fun! None of ye wear watches! It was too easy!"

"But wait, you talked to Reeve earlier. You said the meeting was going to start in ten," said Kairi.

Cait continued to laugh as he made his way to Reeve. "Ah, just a bit of acting lass! Reeve never called me."

Reeve couldn't help but chuckle at his creation's antics. "I'd appreciate it if you'd keep me out of your little pranks, Cait."

"Not a problem, sir! I'll just use Leon as my scapegoat," Cait snickered.

Leon laughed wryly at the statement and motioned for the small group to sit. "Well, since the Strifes are busy helping Aerith set up her orphanage for the festival and we're still waiting for the Turks to show up how about we get some of our business out the way. I don't really want to be here today as much as any of you." He smiled and nodded towards Sora. "You closed off Highwind spaceport yesterday; did you manage to get the census paperwork finished?"

Sora nodded. "Yeah, we've got about seventy-three thousand visitors in Radiant Garden for the celebration along with the eight hundred thousand already living here. I've already sent the work to Tron's security database too."

"Good work, Sora. How about you, Cid? Is the City Defense System up and running?"

The old pilot plucked a toothpick from his shirt pocket and chewed its tip before answering. "The CDS is running smoothly. Tron said there were a few bugs here and there but nothing too serious to worry about. Not that we should anyway, hasn't been a Heartless or Nobody showing their ugly mugs around fer almost eleven years."

Leon nodded, satisfied. "Okay well, that covers our most important topics today. Montblanc, I know you wanted to talk about setting up a Moogle's Guild but I'd rather save that for Monday if you don't mind. As for you two," he nodded towards Merlin and Reeve, "I'd like to hold off on the expansion plans of the Southwestern suburbs until Monday, too."

"Ah don't worry, my boy, I can hardly think straight with all of this festive energy anyway. Let's just have a merry evening tonight," Merlin answered with Reeve merely nodding in agreement.

"Yes, the Guild isn't a high priority topic at the moment," Montblanc added.

Leon clasped his hands with a smile. "Okay then, we're agreed. We'll take care of this after tomorrow. Let's see, all that's left is the induction of the Turks."

"My ears are burnin'. Somebody talking about me?" A lean redheaded man with a laidback gait and un-tucked shirt walked in with three others entering behind him. A pale man with short black hair and dark eyes, a tall hairless man with a pair of sunglasses tucked into his suit pocket, and a third man who wore a white suit with blonde hair and light blue eyes all entered silently.

"Sorry we're late. The elevator was taking a while so we took the stairs," the blonde said calmly.

"Don't worry about it Rufus, you're on time anyway," Leon answered.

"So how do we get on with this induction thing man? All this stuffy air is getting to me," the redhead asked before receiving a tap on his shoulder by the bald man.

"Try to be professional about this, Reno. Act like Vincent once in a while," the bald man muttered.

"Ah, don't worry about me, Rude. I got this professional thing down," Reno smiled. "Sorry, Leon."

Leon merely nodded. "Well, to answer your question, you all just have to swear your oaths to the city on this book of our laws."

"Sounds simple enough," Vincent said and stood first to make his oath.

Sora watched without really focusing on anything; just a regular sort of induction process, he thought to himself. He soon began to drift into the previous night's events. So much was confusing him at the moment. Who was Lilium? Or even Rei and Khael for that matter. Why would such close friends suddenly wish to destroy one another, or rather, why would Rei seek to kill the woman he loved?

_Regna? _he called out mentally.

_Hmm? Master, do you call for me?_ she answered sleepily.

_Yeah, um, I have a question for you._

_What is it Master? You sound distressed._

_Could you call me Sora? I don't like being called "Master"._

_Oh, of course, Sora, s_he replied happily. As though being allowed to call him something other than "Master" meant more to her than Sora thought it did.

_Regna… Could you tell me? Why Lili caused the Keyblade War?_ Sora asked hesitantly, unsure whether Regna would answer or not.

_What leads you to believe Lili started the conflict? _Regna asked sadly.

_So it WAS Rei then…_

_Sadly yes - Rei began the conflict over what he and Lili believed to be the right choice for life._

_What choice? Was Lili's plan really going to kill everyone? _Sora asked, not so much worried as he was confused.

_I'm terribly sorry, Sora, but I shall not tell you._

_What? Why? You were pretty keen on letting me know everything last night._

Regna sighed in remorse before answering. _That was before Lumen saved your life. I made a promise and owe him a debt. Please don't make me_ _betray my oaths. That and my prayer that you live is all I ask for._

_Okay… I'm sorry, Regna, _Sora answered. For some reason he felt a bit troubled by what he wanted to ask but he worked up the courage nevertheless. _Do you miss her? Lilium, I mean._

Regna remained silent for a moment. _She was my first master. What I made her suffer through… What I did to her… I cannot forgive myself. But I take solace in what Rei did for her, bless his heart. Despite all he suffered, he loved her to his death._

Her answer somehow satisfied and confused Sora at the same time. _What did Rei do?_

Regna seemed to giggle to herself more than to Sora. _If you ever meet him, you can ask him yourself._

_Meet him? But he's dead. What in the world do you mean by that?_

_Your wife is trying to get your attention, Sora._

Sora suddenly snapped out of his daze and noticed Kairi gently prodding his arm. "Oh, sorry, were we talking about something?"

Reno suddenly laughed loudly. "Man, I like this guy! He's more bored with this political crap than I am!" He patted Sora heavily on the back. "We're all done here, man. Maybe we can catch up later and I'll buy you two a drink!"

"Reno…" Rufus and Rude muttered dismally as they exited the room.

"Oh, come on! One drink won't hurt!" he called out as he followed the other two.

"Heh, I guess we are done," Sora smiled.

"Something bothering you?" Kairi asked curiously.

"Nah, just worked up over how much fun we're going to have tonight." Sora beamed at her.

"Well, we all are, kiddo," Cid said as he exited with Reeve and Cait, Merlin, Montblanc, and Leon.

"Oh, I forgot," Leon muttered as he turned back to Sora, "We've got some VIP guests running late today. You mind heading to the port and giving them a warm welcome?"

"VIP's? Sure, no problem, Leon."

"Thanks, kid." Leon winked and left the room.

"VIPs… I wonder who's coming," Sora wondered aloud.

"Well, we'll only find out when we get to the port, right?" Riku smiled.

"What, not going with Kairi, Yuffie, and…uh," he gave a confused look at Vincent who stood by Yuffie's side.

"Oh, uh, she asked for some help with decorations," Vincent answered quietly.

Sora smiled in response. "Oh, sorry about that, but what about you, Riku?"

"You're looking at the guy in charge of the fireworks," he announced proudly. "I'm going to set them up in the entrance plaza outside the port since it'll be empty during the celebration."

--

The small group stepped out into the City Hall plaza and made their way to a Moogling post and found Hurdy standing with the attendant.

"Hey there, Hurdy!" Riku smiled.

"Hello Riku!" the moogle answered. "No deliveries today?"

"'Course not, I'm taking the day off today."

"Any reason you're attending a post with another moogle?" Yuffie asked.

"Because she's coming with us to the Seventh Heaven!" a girl's voice chimed. The group looked up to find three small fairies hovering above them.

"Well, if it isn't the Gullwings! It's been a while, good to you see you, girls," Kairi said cheerfully.

"Good to see ya, too, Kai. Yuna, Paine, and Rikku falling in for party time!" Rikku answered.

"Haven't seen you guys in a while. Treasure hunting going good?" asked Sora.

"You bet!" Yuna replied and materialized a necklace with a small glass sphere holding a red-orange tuft of bird down in it. "We even found this great birthday gift for Yuffie! Sorry it's like a month late but here you go."

Yuffie took the necklace happily and put it on. "Aw, you shouldn't have guys. Thanks." She smiled brightly and examined the tuft within the ornament and gasped loudly. "This! This isn't Phoenix Down, is it!?"

"You bet it is. Don't ask how we got it though," Paine answered and received an excited squeal from Yuffie.

"Sorry but what's Phoenix Down?" Vincent asked.

"It's the soft plumage from a legendary bird called a Phoenix. The legends say that Phoenix tears can heal any injury and that their down can even bring the dead back to life," Sora answered. "But the Phoenix is so rare that it's said that only one exists in all the worlds of the universe."

"And we found that _one_," Rikku giggled. "Just before it burned to ashes."

Vincent gave a surprised look at the fairy. "You killed it?"

The group laughed playfully at his ignorance as Yuffie took a breath to answer. "No, silly. The Phoenix is a legendary bird because it never dies. When it reaches old age the bird is swallowed up in its own flames and is reborn in the ashes."

"That's, uh, pretty interesting," Vincent smiled.

"Are you all ready to go then?" the Moogling attendant asked.

"Oh right, sorry." Hurdy shook her head. "Um…Oh yes, Edge Street, please."

Sora gave Kairi a quick kiss goodbye before she and the others were whisked away leaving him behind with Riku.

"Highwind Plaza, please," Sora said before turning to Riku. "So… Who do you think is waiting for us?" His question went unanswered for a moment as the Moogling sent them straight to the massive port plaza.

"Well…" Riku grunted nauseously. "Only way to find out is to let them in, right?"

"Right."

--

Sora sat within the control tower's operations room patiently awaiting the arrival of the so called VIP's with Riku. Sora eventually became bored and looked at Riku intensely for a while as he contemplated telling him about Regna. Riku eventually noticed his stares and gave Sora a questioning look.

"Do I have something on my face?"

Sora snapped out of his trance and smiled dumbly. "Sorry, I just wanted to ask you something."

"Yeah? Well, what is it?"

"Um… Well, how do I put this? Does your Keyblade talk to you?"

Riku looked more than puzzled as he brought out his blade and placed it on a table next to him. "The Way to Dawn? No, I've never talked to it. Why? Does your Keyblade talk?"

"Well…" Sora looked nervous and called forth the Ultima Blade and removed its ornament; reverting it back into its original form. "Regna… Do you think you could say something to Riku here?"

"Uh… Sora?" Riku began but was silenced by Sora.

"How about it, Regna, he was your master, too, you know," Sora implored.

_Just where do you intend to take this, boy? _A deep, guttural voice resounded from the dark blade causing Riku to fall off his seat in surprise.

"Holy shi… Wha… What the heck was that?" Riku stammered.

"Wow…" Sora whispered to himself. "What's your name?"

_I am Venia. And you are the one who wields my sibling Regna._

Riku watched the interaction with shock before getting the nerve to cut in.

"Wait a minute! Just what in the world's going on here?" he demanded and looked at Sora. "How did you make the Way to Dawn talk?"

_He did nothing to make Venia speak, Riku, _said Regna. _Venia must simply find it humorous that Sora intended me to do what should only be done when our wielders are ready to transcend. _

_That's right. But I don't see much harm in speaking to you now, Master. If one as wise as Regna finds it acceptable, then I shall as well, _Venia replied.

_Now, now brother, flattery will get you nowhere._

_Ah, and just where has Lumen run off to? Hardly giving me a hello after so many centuries,_ Venia muttered dejectedly.

_All in good time, Venia. I doubt it would be long before we see him again._

Riku had inched his way closer to Sora as Regna and Venia continued to converse. "Sora… What's up with the family reunion here?" he whispered.

"You got me… I didn't even know Keyblades could have brothers and sisters."

_You know it is impolite to whisper in the presence of company, _Venia cut in. _We spirits do not have siblings as you would presume young one. We are ALL connected and therefore are all as family._

"Oh… Sorry about that, um, Venia. By the way, what exactly do you mean 'ready to transcend'?" Riku asked, never allowing his stare leave the two Keyblades that sat upon the table.

_You'll get that explanation when you are ready to hear it, Master, but for now you have visitors. And... By the by, would you keep our true selves known only to one another? It will do no good to have others know of us. Not even other wielders._

With that, the two blades disappeared as the radio in the tower beeped loudly.

"Hello? Is dere anyone in the control towers?" a heavily accented voice came through the radio.

"Wakka, is that you?" Riku answered in surprise.

"Well if it isn't Riku, how are you, brudda? Been almost a year yeah?"

"I thought you guys weren't going to make it. This is great! You've got clearance to land at pad twelve," Sora answered excitedly.

"Well, if it isn't the old ship jockey himself. Good to hear you, Sora." Another voice came through.

"Good to hear from you too, Tidus. Kairi is going to be excited to see you guys."

"Heh, you're going to be excited to see who we brought along," Tidus replied slyly.

"Ha ha, alright, Tidus. See you on the platform," said Sora. He shut off the radio with a smile and looked at Riku who had returned to staring at his Blade with curiosity. "We'll, uh, we'll talk about them later."

Riku snapped out of his daze and nodded in response. "Just be sure to tell me what's up. I don't like being left in the dark."

"Don't worry about it. I'll let you in on what I know."

Sora and Riku wasted no time making their way down the control tower and out into the landing bays just as the incoming ship settled to land. With a clank and a hiss the entry ramp let itself down and onto the platform. Two figures came bounding out without warning and caught Sora in an unexpected bear hug.

"Donald! Goofy! It's so good to see you guys!" Sora laughed as he squashed his friends in a larger hug.

"Aw, Sora," said Donald, "you've gotten so big!"

"What are you talking about, Donald, it's only been a year, not a decade!" said Sora, unable to wipe the grin off his face. "Goofy, how are you?"

"Gwarsh, couldn't be better!"

"That's great!" said Sora. "So, how's the kingdom going without King Mickey?"

"You could ask him yourself," said Goofy, chuckling a bit, pointing to the mouse walking down the ramp. Sora's eyes lit up and he ran over.

"King Mickey!"

"Sora, it's good to see you! Although you know I'm not king anymore," said Mickey.

Sora shrugged. It was one habit he didn't think he would ever get out of. "Anyway, how's the kingdom doing anyway?"

"As well as can be expected," said Mickey. "Yen Sid is very capable, and with the Good Fairies with him, why, I don't think there should be any problems for a while."

"That's good, that's good," said Sora. Riku quickly walked up and the two of them quickly started conversing in excited tones. Sora said his hello's to Minnie and Daisy, who giggled politely at his humorous attempt to be the gentleman. Suddenly Sora was seized from behind in an affectionate hug. "Sora!"

"Selphie!" said Sora, turning around to hug her back. "It's great to see - you're pregnant!"

"Yep!" Sephie's grin was downright euphoric, and she tugged Tidus closer in an embrace. "We finally made it! Five months along!"

"Congratulations!" Sora smiled and gave a thumbs-up to Tidus whose grin mimicked Selphie's. But his jaw dropped when he saw Wakka and his wife, Lulu, come to meet him with Lulu carrying a baby.

"Ho - holy cow!" said Sora, voice squeaking. "You have a baby!"

"Yeah, he's a handsome guy, eh?" said Wakka, a proud smile marking his features. "Looks like me, see?"

Lulu rolled her eyes at her husband before turning back to Sora. "It's good to see you again, Sora. His name's Vidina. Would you like to hold him?"

Sora teared up a little bit as he picked Vidina up and played with him for a few minutes before carefully putting him back in Lulu's arms.

"W - wow." He self-consciously rubbed a tear out of his eyes. "You would almost think we were all grown up, huh?"

Tidus laughed. "Aw, Sora, you wuss. It had to happen sometime, right?"

"Yeah, but I keep thinking it's not going to happen for another decade or so," said Sora, smiling wistfully at the sky.

"At that rate, brudda, you're not to have any kids 'til you're fifty!" said Wakka.

"Aw, shut up," said Sora playfully.

"So we hear there's a party starting soon," said Selphie slyly. "Is there anything that needs to be done or...?"

"You freak," said Tidus. "I know you love parties, but you're not going to help this time; you're pregnant, honey."

"I know!" huffed Selphie. "I just thought - you know - be helpful - "

"Well, as long as Selphie doesn't actually do anything," said Sora, giving her an apologetic look, "I know that the committee needs help at the orphanage setting up fireworks..."

"Fireworks?! Oh, please, Tidus, at least let me go and watch?" Selphie hung off Tidus like a remora on a shark. "Come on!"

Tidus rolled his eyes. "I'm coming with you to make sure you don't exert yourself."

"Actually, I was thinking, why don't I go, too?" said Goofy. "I'm sure they need all the help they can get down there."

"Yeah, me too!" said Donald cheerfully, and a flood of voices chimed in. At the end of it, Tidus, Selphie, Donald, Goofy, Daisy, Minnie and Micky headed off to the orphanage to help them set up.

"You sure you remember where to go?" Sora called after them.

"Please, Sora!" Tidus yelled back. "It's only been a year. Wait, thirteen months? Fourteen - ah, never mind! Point is, we remember!"

"Okay, see you soon!"

Sora turned back to Riku, Wakka, Lulu and Vidina. "Well, what shall we do?"

"I'd like to show Vidina the city," said Lulu. "Even though he'll never remember, I think it will be good for him."

"Okay," said Riku. "Be safe."

"In Radiant Garden?" asked Sora, giving him a funny look.

"No trouble in being cautious," said Wakka. He waved goodbye to them and the couple walked off with their child, Wakka's arm slung around Lulu's shoulders.

"And then they were alone," said Riku. He looked to Sora. "Well?"

"I guess we should go talk about the Blades, if you've got nothing better to do," said Sora, turning to go to the control tower, the most private place he could think of off-hand.

"I have to set up some fireworks, too," said Riku, "but those can wait a while."

--

**Well there you go. Lots of "new" faces and a few more to come as we finish up the Prologue arc. This is, of course, the transitional chapter so I can set up for Coryn's big party crashing event.**

**The next chapter will focus primarily on Coryn with a few transitions to the evening festivities of Radiant Garden. One thing to note about him right now, he's a first class soldier and commander. Think of him as something of a Brigadier General: He's battle hardened, a brilliant tactician, an outstanding pilot, and most of all just plain lethal when it comes to self-preservation. While he certainly isn't on the helpless side I don't intend him to be a Gary-Stu so don't worry about that.**

**As I'll start doing starting now and onward I'll be giving a small teaser to the next chapter in either small descriptions or certain characters speaking about certain things that foreshadow what's to come along with the chapter title.**

**Teaser: Chapter 4: Soldier of the New Age**

"**Audio Log entry twelve. Date: Month of Novus, sixteenth day landing on the day of Lunaris, Year of Two thousand seven-hundred ninety-nine. Hour: Twenty-two hundred hours.**

**Black ops operative codename "Purifier": Coryn Vastus speaking. Operative code: 224617**

**My special issued A.I. named "Juno" picked up on some strange energy signatures resonating from this backwater system. Did some work on it and I think it might be a wormhole of some sort. This is good news since this stupid tin can they issued me has no warp drive… Oh well, at least Isis had the courtesy to arm this junker with enough weapons to take on an armada, not to mention the up to date safety requirements. **

**Personal armaments include my Photon Particle Blade and my personal creation for non-lethal, well… as long as I don't overcharge the gun, crowd control, the "Sledgehammer" Concussive Pulse Blaster. Heh, Phobos called it the Lone Wolf's handheld battering ram. He even went so far as to make up a jumping game with it since the gun has horrific recoil when fully charged. Managed to beat his record by two feet… Twenty six feet… uh… anyway…**

**I'm worried though, I feel like I'm being tailed but the radar isn't picking up any contacts, must be those usual "pre-mission jitters". Let's hope there's nothing nasty in that wormhole… from all the stories of those experimental missions I won't hold my breath. Damn it! Isis that's why you armed me with Graviga nukes! **

**Hehehe… well then… I guess I shouldn't let an old friend down. Tomorrow's gonna be a **_**big**_** day. Better get some sleep… Coryn out."**


	4. Soldier of the New Age

**This chapter is dedicated to three friends of mine who went home too soon. Shannon Navarro, Kaylin Langley, and James Langley you'll be missed guys. **

**Thank you Apakoha for helping me get over what happened, it means a lot. **

**Anyway enjoy this next chapter people.**

**--**

Chapter 4: Soldier of the New Age

The soft whir of machinery coming from a lone cruiser's engines were all that were heard within the ship's compartments. Soft green lights lit the silent hall leading to a small bridge that was nearly shrouded in darkness save for a small glowing figure that sat atop the main console.

The figure was a small woman dressed in a robe-like outfit common to Elysian society. Her name was Juno. The dim glow of light around her in the room brightened the features of her short cerulean hair, pale face, and violet eyes. She sat silently tapping a finger to her chin as she gazed out the ship's viewport, mind racing with the thoughts of how she wound up where she was. And with _him,_ of all people: Coryn Vastus, 'the Demon of Elysium'. Of course, that's what she had heard the lower ranking officers refer to him as.

She perked up at the sudden sound of… singing?

"What the hell?" she whispered to herself and turned towards the empty hall.

" Your words that gave me direction, helped me turn into what I thought I wanted… " Coryn stepped barefoot out onto the bridge wiping his head with a towel and wearing only the pants of his flight suit as he continued to sing. He switched from singing to humming as he took a seat and proceeded to open a small pouch of water and rations case.

"Good morning. You're in a good mood," she muttered.

"I guess so… Morning, by the way," Coryn answered, preoccupied with trying to open a stubborn rations case. As he did so, Juno watched him carefully, eyes tracing every detail of his chest. Scars painted his body like a sick tapestry of battles long since past. Some small and insignificant, others much larger and more brutal than the last, and then the most gruesome of all resting on his right shoulder.

Several moments passed as Coryn silently ate before his mouth pulled into a smirk. "You're staring at me, you know."

Juno let out a small gasp of embarrassment but did nothing to shield her eyes from the purifier. "I-I was just noticing the scars…" she replied.

"Oh. Well, I guess they aren't too easy to miss, are they," Coryn replied, not really asking a question.

"No, not really," Juno muttered and eyed Coryn's shoulder carefully. "Corsair beam to the arm?"

Coryn chuckled wryly. "You know your injuries."

"Just be glad you managed to keep your arm. From what I know, Corsair rifles have a reputation of dismembering their targets."

"What, this thing?" Coryn waved his right arm around and flicked his wrist. "It's prosthetic. I lost my arm about seven years ago."

"O-oh," Juno mumbled, averting her gaze.

"Hmm, is someone feeling sorry for me?" he asked, grinning slyly.

"Not really, just wondering why you've never fixed the other scars. They have surgery for that, you know."

Coryn shook his head in disagreement. "Nah, there isn't really much of a point to that. Another mission, another scar, that's how I see it. Besides, each one serves as a token of what I go through to protect Elysium."

"Huh, that's a strange way to put it. Considering you make a career out of killing."

"Come again?"

Juno scoffed and stood up. "Oh, come on. You're Purifier. Black Ops, assassins, headhunters, call it what you want but you don't protect like the Reavers do."

Coryn laughed loudly in response. "You have no idea what we do! Oh, we certainly protect, more than any other division in all of Elysium. Political uprisings, criminal organizations, you name it, we kill it."

"That's why you could be considered murderers."

"Us, murderers? Don't make me laugh again. We take out the worst of the worst that dare show their ugly heads in Elysium."

"So you mean to say that the faction known as Neu Alter, who did in fact start with peaceful protest against the World Controllers, is the worst of the worst?" Juno growled.

"Now why would you bring up that war?" Coryn gave her a quizzical look.

"I read your service record, and from the looks of it, you had a hand in capturing most of the Neu Alter faction officers. You _do_ know that they were executed, right?"

Coryn grunted and shrugged his shoulders. "That's not my problem. I do my job and I do it well. Whatever happens to the people I capture isn't really a big concern. Well, actually, there's one… A girl I killed during the Loriattus mission."

Juno scowled at Coryn and her glare pierced his eyes. "Right, thanks for reminding me. That was the mission where you monsters murdered that man and his daughter!"

Coryn took a moment to register the phrase. "_Murdered? _Do you think that I - _?"_

"What's that stupid look for!? Don't deny it after you've just admitted it! You're the one who pulled the trigger on the kid! All you Purifiers did in that war was murder innocent people!"

_'I get it now... Isis… Thanks.'_ Coryn leaned back in his seat and sighed. "Maybe some of us did."

Juno's glare increased in intensity. "What!? Not going to lump yourself in with the rest!? Are you that cowardly!?"

"Darf die Dämonen wir besiegen zuführen uns Türschließer zu Heil." Coryn said, almost offhandedly staring away from her.

Juno fell back onto her seat in disbelief. "Y-you!? You can't be! You're not - "

"Yeah, I am," Coryn interrupted as he came in closer pulled his left eyelid far downward to reveal a small tattoo placed inside. "You probably didn't know that Unit Seventy-Eight was Neu Alter, did you?

"Believe me... killing that girl was… about as hard as watching my friends die on Oberon." Coryn's eyes only gazed softly at the strange A.I. who sat before him in disbelief. "If I could I would take it all back and apologize but that's over and done with. She's dead. I doubt she even knew of the plan."

"What… What plan?" Juno asked softly.

"Professor Prometheus Verion. A great man and aid to Neu Alter's cause. Despite being a genius he managed to be located by the Elysian military. You happen to get all the best missions if you're good enough. Unit Seventy-Eight was just the right team to kill him. Too bad for the government we were all double agents. The previous commander, Syricov Cerkiv, chose his unit carefully. We were going to kill a dummy android of his and let him escape. None of us had any clue he had a kid, and when we killed the dummy, his daughter saw it all." Coryn sighed heavily and leaned back once more.

"I guess thinking some soldiers killed your old man can drive a person to do unspeakable things. She shot Syricov right in the head, took out my brother's leg and blasted my shoulder. It didn't fall off right then and there but I was so pissed thinking that a malfunctioning android saw us as targets that I chased her down. It could have been the shock that was creeping in or just me being caught in the moment but I managed to corner her without noticing she was human. We…" Coryn's throat formed a lump as he fought down some repressed emotions.

"I charged at her and she shot me again with a pistol she had hidden; my arm was done by then. But I kept fighting. We used our knives against one another and she just about killed me before I managed to get a hold of her gun and shot her off a platform. Her last words were… 'rot in hell.'" Coryn looked up with a glazed look in his eyes. "I guess she got her wish."

Juno remained silent for a moment, her anger subsided. "I'm… I'm sorry."

"Why? It's not like you were angry without reason." Coryn smiled. "Besides, you think I'd do anything against another Neu Alter agent like myself?"

"Huh?"

"You're Neu Alter. It's not that hard to figure out considering your empathy towards us."

Juno quickly nodded in agreement while keeping her eyes from Coryn. "Right, I just didn't think that an entire Purifier Unit would be defectors against the World Controllers." She mustered up courage to look up at him and watched him hopefully. "Are… Are there more Purifier Units like yours?"

Coryn scratched his head in puzzled amusement. "Were you just created? Oh, wait, that's right, your carrier said you were the latest prototype. Still... No, I guess it would make sense to keep information from you since Centuris was an enemy hotspot."

"So there are more then?" Juno asked again.

Coryn smiled brightly. "Of course! And it's not just Purifier Units Seventy-eight and Eighteen. It's also Devastator Units Twelve, Seven, and Fifty, Mechaniloid Units Ninety, Fourteen, One, and Eleven, almost a third of every Reaver Unit in the military and a handful of Longshot Units. And then there's Mother Units Isis Stria, Konata Izumi, Amalie Hyrst, Eureka Fairchild, and Rinoa Heartilly."

Juno smiled in relief. "You're kidding me… All this time I thought we were only a few."

"Hmm, to tell you the truth, we were about to commence a massive strike against Elysia's Capital Center. We were all prepared to move out when the Heartless came out of nowhere on Oberon." Coryn sighed and rubbed his temples. "The whole operation went out the window after that. The enemy of my enemy is my friend after all."

"I guess you're right," Juno muttered. "But tell me, why would you all go through the trouble of hiding out for four years when you've got a third of the Elysian military behind you?"

"That's simple enough to answer. Truth be told, we really did lose the war. We were scattered and broken. We had no choice other than to shore up our numbers if we ever wanted any hope in hell of trying to start another conflict." Coryn scoffed and scratched his head in aggravation, "Too bad those stupid Heartless freaks had to show up. Both sides are dropping like flies and the odds of anyone surviving are getting slimmer by the day."

"So I guess it's up to us then?" Juno muttered as she turned her gaze back to the viewport.

"Yep… Like it or not, we're Elysium's last hope. If we screw up, it's all over."

"Well, then…" Juno grunted as she stood up and faced Coryn once more. "How about we start over?" She smiled faintly and offered her hand. "I'm Juno."

Coryn couldn't help but chuckle at the A.I.'s antics. She was definitely of a different make. "Okay." He held out his index finger. "I'm Coryn. I'll be your partner on this mission."

"Partner, huh? Not going to call me your 'tool' or 'A.I.'?"

"Nope. The way I see it, you're probably more human than machine, anyway. So partner sounds more fitting to me… Unless you'd like me to just think of you as a tool."

Juno shook her head emphatically. "No, no. I like the sound of partner."

"Well, good, because that's what you are from now on." Coryn smiled.

"O-okay."

Their moment was cut short by a sudden beeping sound coming from the console. "Well, well, looks like we finally made it, Juno." Coryn muttered and tapped at several keys. The viewport was suddenly covered by a holographic projection that zoomed in on their destination. Coryn tapped a few more keys and the image began to alter filter settings until it displayed a variety of energy signatures and data readouts.

Juno watched the images curiously. "Does that look like a giant keyhole to you?"

"You know, it really _does_ look like one of those ancient locks... It must be half a millennium since one was used. Weird, isn't it?" Coryn's eyes were fixated on the image.

"You're telling me. And that thing is the wormhole?"

"No doubt about it. The energy signature is the same as the one you picked up yesterday." Coryn continued to watch the image before suddenly throwing himself back into his seat and securing himself.

"Right then! Juno, warm up the front, rear, and lateral lasers. Arm the Hades missile launchers, Shiva tactical mines, Bahamut sonic bombs, and the Graviga nukes."

"Not pulling any punches, huh?"

"No room to take chances. We have to reach our goal as quickly as possible even if it means diving straight into suicide run to do it," Coryn answered determinedly.

"You're crazy as hell. You know that, don't you?" said Juno. "Two minutes to entry. Weapons armed. Ammunition count reads three hundred H-missiles, one hundred S-tact mines, fifty B-sonic bombs, and four G-spatial distortion nuclear bombs."

"You take the rear guns and heavy artillery. I'll take the ship controls and forward weapons. Let's get out of this in one piece."

"You really believe that we're going to have to shoot our way out, don't you?" Juno asked as she readied herself.

Coryn nodded his head. "Isis wouldn't arm me to the teeth if she didn't have to. Even if I'm an old friend, she's far too conservative with resources to do that. Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be, partner."

"Okay! Mission start at Oh-Six-Hundred, begin video recording."

--

"And there he goes," a woman murmured, watching a video display of a small ship entering a massive rift in space.

"Which is our cue," a man responded, sadistic amusement in his tone. "All hands, full speed ahead."

Several bizarre creatures colored white hissed an acknowledgement and the room shook gently as a massive warship's thrusters pushed it gracefully out of its hiding place amongst the shadows of space.

One of the creatures working the controls let out a hiss of dismay and turned towards the hooded man and woman who resided in the center of the room. "Master… The target is armed with hundreds of explosives. Reconsider method of attack…"

The woman giggled at this news. "Ooh. Looks like our boy has a few tricks up his sleeve. I thought you altered the mission parameters to prevent him from taking weapons, Xenreid."

"Indeed I did, my dear Dexumé, but it appears as though our target doesn't care much for orders," said Xenreid, grinning all the while. "What say we teach him a lesson? Order all fighters to stations and prepare for launch."

Dexumé's mouth pulled into a thin smirk. "You heard him! All ships to launch! I want him torn to pieces!"

Xenreid quickly placed a hand on Dexumé's arm. "Let's not be too hasty. Surely you wouldn't wish to kill him so quickly that we take the sport from the hunt?"

"Hmm, good point. I'm not too fond of quickies," Dexumé muttered with a sigh. "Okay! All hands prepare to launch in waves!"

"That's more like it."

--

The interior of Coryn's ship shook softly as it accelerated into the massive rift. The blackness of space was washed away by a brilliant white light that radiated from a monolithic 'hole' of darkness.

"Scared?" Coryn asked as the hole came closer and closer.

"Why, are you?" Juno muttered.

"Oh, yeah…" he replied as the ship crossed the threshold. The black and white lights suddenly blasted away to reveal a kaleidoscopic realm of twisting hues. The ship suddenly rocked as a current swept through the area, pushing it along with increased speed.

"Talk about a serious soma trip," Coryn scoffed. "Juno, maximize the radar's range and give me readouts of the energy currents."

"Got it… Energy readouts confirm that the current is, uh, how do I put it? Enclosed. Try to fly through the edges and we'll be torn to pieces."

"Roger that, avoid the walls of this tube," Coryn muttered as he maneuvered through the twists and turns of the current. A warning klaxon suddenly blared throughout the bridge.

"And with that, we have company!" Coryn laughed with subdued enthusiasm, turning off the warning alarm.

"Holy… Eighty contacts incoming at six," Juno announced, some fear hidden in her voice.

Coryn smiled menacingly. "Hey now! Don't get soft on me now, Juno! You know the drill. Shoot, shoot, shoot!"

"Are… Are you excited!?"

"Well it beats being scared out of my pants!" The ship suddenly rocketed forth, causing Coryn to be pressed against his seat.

"Incoming!" Juno yelled out as she fired against a multitude of white ships that were slowly catching up.

The ship began to swerve back and forth within the current as the enemies opened fire. Many of them sped up and attempted to fire from the front as Coryn barrel rolled the craft back and forth through the crossfire. The current suddenly dropped out beneath the chaos and Coryn, barely aware of the imminent destruction of his ship, threw his craft into a downward spiral. The pursuing fighters followed in the same fashion, many of them crashing into the current walls and ripping to pieces. Coryn's ship screeched as its wing clipped the wall and the outer material was wrenched off with ease.

"Damn it!" Coryn snarled and tore himself from the ripping currents as the ship was pummeled by incoming fire.

"Let's see how they like this!" Juno muttered and released a number of mines. There was rapid report of explosions as the pursuing ships were caught off guard and blown to pieces. Only a scant few survived the surprise attack and were quickly picked off by Juno.

"Whoa… Nice shooting." Coryn smiled.

"Thanks. Heh. That was actually kind of fun."

"Really? You had fun doing that?" Coryn asked amusedly.

"W-well, a little bit," Juno stammered. "Besides, who was the one to - "

"What the hell!?" Coryn suddenly shot up out of his seat and stared into the currents.

"Excuse me?"

"Quick! Check the radar for any contacts."

"There's nothing. What's up with you?"

Coryn eased back into his seat with a sigh. "Are you sure there's nothing?"

"Positive," Juno answered and projected herself onto the control panel. "What did you see out there?"

"A shadow… A really big shadow following us outside of the currents."

Juno watched him, puzzled. "A shadow? How big?"

"Massive. Probably ten times the size of this ship."

"Well, there's nothing coming up on radar, we should be - " Juno was suddenly cut off as a massive translucent white creature burst into the current, its mouth opened wide as it rushed at the tiny craft. Coryn narrowly maneuvered the ship from harm, cursing loudly as he did so.

"What in the hell was that!?" Juno cursed and checked the radar again. "Oh no…"

"What is it!?"

"Thirty, seventy, one-fifty, contact numbers are rising over three hundred! They're coming in from every direction!"

Coryn watched in disbelief as he saw one attack fighter after another in front of him gathered along with several of the creatures that just tried to eat him. "Oh, this just keeps getting better." He snarled and secured himself into his seat. "Let's show these punks who they're dealing with. Back to the guns, Juno, and don't be shy about blowing them straight into oblivion!"

Coryn's ship rocketed towards the many others that awaited him. With a roar, he fired unrelentingly at them and they fired in return. Everything was a haze of action as Coryn and Juno destroyed one ship after another, taking hits from their assailants while avoiding being devoured by the large apparitions that swarmed them. The battle escalated from chaos to sheer pandemonium as the rushing current was soon littered with earthlike debris that was covered in ruins, adding to Coryn's already desperate attempts at avoiding danger.

An explosion rocked the ship tremendously, causing Coryn to bump his head against his seat. "Argh, stupid- Launch a few Bahamut bombs Juno!"

"With pleasure." Juno replied. Several black spheres ejected into the fray, "You'd better punch it!"

Coryn nodded silently and pulled the throttle, urging every last bit of speed from his ship. With an ear-shattering bang the bombs detonated and the resulting shockwaves tore through the pursuing hostiles with the ease of a blade through gel. Coryn's ship shook violently in the turbulence but miraculously held together as it escaped the blast.

"Good work, Juno, only a few more left! Let's mop 'em up!" Coryn grunted and went right back into the fray while guiding the craft through the continually twisting currents.

"Coryn! Contact at one o' clock! It's a… It's a big one…" Juno said fearfully.

Coryn watched a large silhouette encircle the current and align itself portside. A massive black orb with a gaping maw burst forth from the shadow and attempted to smash into its target. Coryn veered the ship downwards and avoided the attack, allowing it to smash into the other hostilities that were attempting to flank him.

"Does everything in this freak show want to eat us!?" Juno shouted.

"Looks like it, so let's try to stay off the menu," Coryn grunted as the ship shook from another blow.

The large silhouette then burst into the battle as well, smashing into the smaller fighters and apparitions without a care as it sped ahead of Coryn.

"What in the… Is that a ship!?" Coryn muttered as he watched the massive object turn about-face in the distance and charge headlong at Coryn. A massive metal plate across the ship's bow suddenly dropped to reveal a large skull with its mouth wide open. Coryn grunted in disgusted amusement and launched a salvo of missiles at the face before dodging the unhindered monster.

"You just _had_ to ask if everything wanted to eat us, didn't you," said Coryn dismally.

"Oh, right, like I had _any_ idea that a giant bonehead would show up on an ancient ship and try to make us its dinner!" Juno shot back at him and returned her attention to the other fighters who insisted on making her life a living hell. "Oh crap! Big guy is coming up fast on our rear!"

"Drop some more mines and let loose a couple of sonic bombs! That should slow him down until we can find an exit… I hope."

Without a word she released the explosives. One by one they fell behind onto the large skull that was in pursuit and detonated causing it to veer of its course and out of the energy current.

"Whoa… I think we got him!" Juno said ecstatically.

"Don't count on it…" Coryn growled as he continued to destroy fighter and ghost alike one after another. "Check the radar for an exit. My guess would be that it has the same energy signature as the entrance."

"Got it, give me a sec… Okay! We're in luck. The readout shows the exit is just ahead. Looks like the current evens out here, too."

"Then what the hell are we doing!? Let's make a run for it!" Coryn replied, happy that he was on the home stretch in this nightmare, and hit the throttle. The ship creaked from the massive burst of speed but held together when the horrific ghost ship lunged out in front of them. Coryn and Juno cursed in unison as Coryn attempted to evade death. The ships' portsides collided with horrendous force as Coryn's ship tore the ancient wood out of the other and spun wildly into the wall of the energy current.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Coryn roared and aligned his trajectory and blasted off for the exit once more.

"Coryn! The collision, it triggered one of the Graviga nukes! We've got thirty seconds before that behemoth comes back!" Juno cried.

"Shit! Does everything have to go wrong all at once right at the end!? Give that creep another sonic barrage and jettison the nuke! Maybe the bastard will swallow it."

"I can't, he's staying outside of the current this time. He might be waiting until the last second!"

Coryn watched the quickly ending tunnel and smiled. "Then let's skip the main course and offer him some dessert! Hold off on jettisoning the nuke, I've got an idea!"

"Are you crazy!? We've got less than fifteen seconds!"

"More than enough time get ready to drop it on my mark!"

"Ten seconds, Coryn! I hope you know what you're doing!"

_9_…

Coryn's breaths became shallower as he concentrated on one thing: the exit. If he failed, he'd at least take his pursuers out with him but that just wasn't acceptable.

_6…_

Juno continued her onslaught against their pursuers as she waited for Coryn's command, unsure if she would even get one. _So this is how it ends huh? After all I live through, I get killed like this? Damn it… _she thought dismally as she watched the massive ship rise from the currents, mouth agape.

_3…_

Coryn's eyes widened as he came ever closer to the portal, taking note of the strange keyhole shape that defined it. "Now, Juno, drop the nuke!"

_1…_

The small metal object fell behind for a brief moment before detonating. The immense shockwave that released itself rattled Coryn's bones as well as the rest of his ship when he suddenly felt a great pull come over him. The massive ghost ship as well as the other pursuers was obliterated within the strong gravity rift that disrupted everything around it. The last thing Coryn could see behind him as the ship pulled itself into the wormhole was a bright display of compressing explosions before the world about him flashed white and dumped him into "normal" space once more.

"Did… Did we really just make it?" Juno asked in total disbelief.

Coryn relaxed himself and took a deep breath after realizing he'd been holding it. "I think we did." He laughed.

Juno laughed in return, though more out of relief. "I could kiss you, you insane freak!"

"Glad you didn't get wasted, huh?" Coryn chuckled. "Think you could tell me where we wound up?"

"Hold on… Got it!" Juno suddenly became silent.

"Well… what is it?"

"It's uh, pretty unbelievable. We shaved off almost eighteen hours of travel time if the map is correct."

Coryn quickly opened the map on his console and looked it over carefully. "Well, what do you know? That's even faster than warp travel," Coryn said with a smile and suddenly growled in frustration. "And yet it's not enough. This world is the wrong one. Our target is still a ways off in that direction."

"Would it help to tell you I'm picking up two more energy signals like the last gate?"

Coryn leaned back in his seat and heaved a sigh. "You really willing to go through all that again?"

Juno remained silent for a moment, questioning her sanity of all things. "If it gets us to where we need to go, then I'm up for it. I mean, we survived this one, right?"

"Alright, then, would we have to take both gates or can we skip one of them?" Coryn asked, hoping for the best.

"Um… Yeah, I think we could. It'll take about eight hours to reach the gate if we take the most direct route to the target."

"Okay. We'll use that time to get some rest and assess the damage our ship took. Oh, and make sure you take inventory on our remaining artillery."

"Already done," Juno announced proudly. "The ship only took on minor external damage thanks to the energy shields. The engine and other primary and sub systems are running at optimal capacity. And we've got one hundred seventy missiles, thirty mines, ten sonic bombs, and three nukes left."

Coryn was a bit stunned to see how efficient the A.I. was and smiled in approval. "Well, um, what do we do now?"

"We could talk for a bit if you want."

"Okay." Coryn nodded and began to converse with her as the ship glided silently in the darkness.

--

Xenreid sat in silence, scowling as he watched his target's ship continue on its way.

"Oh, don't be so down, you sore loser," Dexumé chimed. "So the guy lived past round one. It's not like we can't just send another squadron at him. In fact, let's do that now. All squadr - "

"Do you like playing games with me, Dexumé?" Xenreid muttered.

"Well, since you made me what I am, I think it's only fair that I pester you."

Xenreid smirked at the comment. True, it may be fair that she be entitled to that, and much more. But besides that fact, her remarks were never really bothersome. She was, perhaps, the only one he could tolerate like this on a regular basis.

"So what's the plan, Xenreid?"

"Give me a prediction on his trajectory," Xenreid ordered.

The dusks operating the controls worked without a sound when one of the small creatures turned to face its masters. "Target is charting direct course for the next gate. Permission to destroy?"

"No, no. Let him reach the next gate. If we kill him outside of any nexus point, they'll know it was intentional."

Dexumé sighed heavily and sat herself in front of Xenreid while resting the back of her head against his knees. "Guh… But waiting is too boring." She let out another sigh and rose to her feet and turned to face the darkness that covered his face within his hood. "Don't kill him. Make his life a living hell however you want but let him reach Radiant Garden."

Xenreid scoffed. "And what is it you plan to do, eh?"

"I think I'll head over there," said Dexumé. She removed her hood and smiled. Long emerald hair draped over her pale face and amber eyes. "What do you think?" she asked, grabbing her hair into a ponytail. "Like this or should I let it down? I hear they're having some sort of celebration and I want to look my best for those Keyblade Masters."

Xenreid couldn't help but laugh at her. "Are you so bold that you would walk right in front of our enemies' faces and give them a 'how do you do'?"

"Please, with the right attire, we can blend in with any crowd at any time without them in the know. Ponytail it is, then. Try not to be too bored without me." She winked and disappeared within a portal of darkness.

With a small sigh, Xenreid leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling.

"That woman annoys me."

--

Dexumé stepped out of the darkness and into an empty alleyway. Taking off her hood, she stared up at the sky and took a deep breath before walking out onto the crowded main street. As she walked in silence, she noticed the stares and whispers following her.

"Isn't she hot in those clothes?"

"Man, what kind of weirdo goes out in public dressed like that?" Those were a few of the comments she heard before someone called out to her.

"Hey you, cloak chick!" She turned to find a young red-headed man with an un-tucked shirt and laidback gait approach her. "What's your name, yo?"

Dexumé smirked and came closer. "Cloak chick. What's yours?"

"Name's Reno." The man smiled. "You mind tellin' me what you're up to?"

"Now, what makes you think I'm up to something?"

Reno smirked and began walking circles around Dexumé. "Well, as part of Radiant Garden PD's Turk division, it's my job to spot thugs when I see 'em. Problem is… You stick out of the crowd but I don't really see a thug here. Maybe you're a tourist who might've chosen the wrong outfit for the day?"

Dexumé smiled and snapped her fingers. "You got me, officer."

"What, you really are a tourist?"

"Nope, I'm a thug up to no good."

"Well, in that case, I might just have to take you in," said Reno. "Or I maybe I'll consider letting you off this time if you'll be my date for this evening's party."

"Hmm…" Dexumé ran a hand through her hair as she contemplated the offer. "I don't know… I sorta have this thing I have to do later today."

"Come on," said Reno. "It'll be fun, I promise."

"Well, I am trying to keep work from dragging me down, so… Okay, I'm in."

"Kay, but do you have a real name or did I really have you pegged with 'Cloak chick'?"

"Meadows, Mai Meadows," she said smoothly, the lie natural as breathing.

"Mai, huh, never heard that one before. It's a pretty name, if you ask me." Reno winked flirtatiously at her. "Well, Mai, there's a clothing shop just down the street. I can escort you if you want," said Reno, offering his hand.

"Lead the way, Red," said Mai, taking Reno's hand and following him down the street before realizing she forgot one crucial detail. "Oh! R-Reno… You wouldn't happen to know any people with Keyblades, would you?" she asked as innocently as possible.

"Huh? That's a funny thing to ask. But yeah, I know 'em. They're at some orphanage decorating for the big party tonight," Reno answered and then gave Mai a questioning look. "Why'd ya ask?"

"Oh, I heard rumors and stuff that three of them live here and thought it might be cool to meet them."

"Well, I was heading over there just now so you can tag along after this if you want." Reno smiled.

"That would be great!" Mai said, feigning enthusiasm.

"Cool, we'll go after we get you some clothes. After you..." Reno said, holding the door to the clothing store open.

Mai walked into the store and was quickly greeted by a young employee. "Welcome. What can we do for you?" said the sales woman, obviously trying hard not to look appalled at Mai's odd clothing.

"Yeah, can you help me find something good to replace this tacky uniform?"

"Certainly, you and your boyfriend follow me and I'll show you our newest stock that just came in."

Reno blushed at the comment and followed closely behind Mai. "That getup is a uniform?"

"Yeah-huh, my work is a bit… weird."

"I guess it would be if it has _that_ as official uniform. What sort of job is it?" Reno asked following closely as Mai paid attention to the sales woman.

"Oh, it's just some private agency." Mai shrugged, taking a few shirts and placing them against herself. "I'm not allowed to say what we do but the pay's good and the work isn't too hard at times, so you know, whatever."

Reno was about to speak again when a chime emitted from his pockets. "That's mine. Sorry, I have to take this."

"Could you please take it outside? Those things have a habit of messing with our registers." The sales woman asked before turning her attention back to Mai.

Reno nodded and stepped out the door. "Reno here, talk to me."

"Reno, its Vincent, where are you?"

"Standing outside a woman's clothing store," answered Reno nonchalantly.

"Uh… What?" Vincent's reply was mixed with tones of confusion and amusement.

"I met this girl on the way over there. She was wearing her work uniform so she wanted to stop and get something more casual. We're just a couple blocks away."

"Yeah? What's the girl's name?"

"Mai," Reno answered.

"Sounds like a looker. You've got the worst luck with them. Actually, I'd say you're just a magnet for 'problem' women."

"And what the hell do you mean by that?"

"You know: clingy, psychotic, bitchy, annoying, promiscuous, the list could go on for days," said Vincent, snickering.

"Okay, so that was the last five girls I dated. I think this'll be the genuine article."

"Are you paying for the clothes?"

The last comment caught Reno off guard. "Uh…"

"All done," said Mai, getting Reno's attention. She was dressed modestly with a pair of light blue pants, white shirt, and black jacket. Even then, the clothes fit so well they outlined every curve of her body in a way that would grab the attention of any passerby as effectively as her cloak did.

"Reno? Reno, are you there?" Vincent asked after a moment of silence.

Reno hung up with a click without answering and realized he was gawking. "You look good," He answered, trying to regain his composure.

"Thanks. I even found this hairclip and a chain necklace to go with it." Mai replied and dug into the shop bag, pulling out two heart shaped accessories and put them on. "What do you think?"

"Looks great on you. Well, if you're done here, why don't we get going?" Reno asked and offered his hand again.

Mai nodded with a hum and let him lead.

--

"Okay. One more pin and… there! The banner is up, Mom!" a young girl with dark brown hair and eyes called out.

"It looks good, Marlene. Come on down and help your sister with the balloons and streamers, okay?" Tifa answered with a smile and continued placing an assortment of decorations along the orphanage's fence with several other children.

"Thanks for holding the ladder, Goofy," said Marlene.

"Aw, it was nothing, I'm just glad to help," said Goofy.

"Okay, let's go help Cirrus with the balloons now," said Marlene, grabbing Goofy by the hand and leading him inside. She saw Aerith and immediately went up to the woman. "Oh! Aerith, didja see Cirrus around here? Mom wants me to help her with the balloons and stuff."

"Oh? Um, yes let's see, I think I saw her heading to the roof with Donald and a package of balloons."

"Thanks, Aerith." Marlene quickly turned away and bounded up the stairs with Goofy in tow. She darted down the hallways giving a passing hello and goodbye to Kairi, Yuffie and their friends as she continued on through the second floor up and through the third and the rooftop stairway beyond. She stopped a few steps before the door to avoid slamming herself against it.

"Heya, sis!" Marlene hollered, bursting through the door and startling both Donald and a small, young blonde.

"Marlene, you know I hate it when you jump out of nowhere like that!" the blonde whined.

"Oh, don't be such a baby, Cirrus. You're nine, grow up," Marlene giggled.

"Humph! You're only ten. You're still a kid, too, you know."

"Uh-huh," Marlene hummed nonchalantly and gazed at the mess of balloons strewn about the floor. "So, what are you up to?"

"Sparkle balloons," Cirrus replied and held up a bag of glitter. "See, we put some glitter in the balloons and then Donald fills them up and ties them off with his magic. Watch, we'll show you." She smiled and motioned to Donald. "Ready, Donald!?"

"Ready!" he replied determinedly.

"Aaaaaand sparkle!" Cirrus cheered, tossing a dozen or so balloons into the air. Donald quickly gave a wave of his staff and the balloons quickly filled with air and tied with a string followed by Cirrus jumping to grab the bundle of strings before they could fly off.

"Heehee, see? And look at how they sparkle, too." Cirrus smiled, watching the clear balloons glitter like diamonds. "Now here, you take these ones and tie them off over there and I'll do the same over here."

The two girls worked diligently with Donald and Goofy as they continued placing bundles of the balloons along the edge of the rooftop when Cirrus noticed two familiar figures walking up the street.

"Hey! It's Sora and Riku!" Cirrus said excitedly. "Sora! Riku! Hi!" She hollered loudly at the two men on the road, grinning and waving all the while.

Sora and Riku both waved in response before Sora went ahead inside. "Hey Cirrus, where's your dad? I need to talk to him about the finale for the fireworks show."

"I think he's out making a delivery."

"Jeez, does he ever take a day off? Oh well, thanks, kiddo."

Cirrus eased back from the edge of the rooftop, blushing profusely when she heard her sister's quiet snickering behind her.

"Cirrus has a cruuush," Marlene teased quietly out of earshot of Donald and Goofy.

"Sh-shut up! I don't have a crush!" she squealed, chasing Marlene down the stairs as Goofy and Donald followed, laughing to themselves as they went.

--

The day continued on in the Gainsborough Orphanage as the children and adults alike went about placing decorations on the exterior of the three story building.

"Okay, here we are." Reno sighed in relief. "I was beginning to think we'd never get here."

"Well, considering you took us twelve blocks in the wrong direction, I guess that's expected." Mai giggled and gave Reno a light punch in the arm. "So… You gonna show me around, Red?"

"Right this way," Reno replied coolly.

"Well, look who finally decided to show up. Took you long enough, Reno. Everything is done here and Riku managed to help me out instead of you." Vincent managed to say it completely casually, but he was somehow very intimidating.

"Ah, well, we sorta got lost back there, buddy. Between you and me, your directions suck," said Reno.

Vincent merely let out a soft, almost unnoticeable, sigh before turning his attention to the pale faced beauty that accompanied Reno. "I'm guessing you're Mai?"

"That's me." Mai smiled and offered a handshake which Vincent graciously took. "So what's your name, pal?"

"Vincent," he answered.

"And I'm the Great Ninja, Yuffie," announced a black-haired girl, appearing from nowhere, and she promptly draped herself over Vincent's shoulders. He blushed.

"Nice to meet you, Yuffie."

"Well, come on in! Let's introduce you to the rest of the bunch," said Yuffie, grinning as she ushered them inside.

"Guys, I want you all to meet a couple of new friends of ours!" Yuffie announced loudly. "This guy here is Reno and his way-out-of-his-league lady friend is Mai."

A few minutes passed as the group entered a large living room and got acquainted with the two newcomers as Aerith and Yuffie prepared tea and coffee.

"So where did you say you were from, Mai?" Mickey asked, wondering why the young woman had remained the quietest.

Mai was caught off guard and searched for a way to steer conversation away from her. "Uh…well, not from this world if that's what you're asking."

"So which one?" Kairi asked. "Twilight Town, Montressor... I don't think I've ever seen you around Destiny Islands before. Maybe Disney Castle?"

"Naw, I've never seen her around the castle and I'm Captain of the Royal Knights Kairi," said Goofy, trying to guess Mai's home world as well.

Mai remained silent for a moment before deciding on her words. "I'm from Montressor. I came out here for some business," she said, taking a casual sip of coffee. "Didn't count on a huge celebration, though."

"How could you not?" Tifa asked curiously. "All the worlds that are connected under this world's banner have been buzzing about it for almost a month."

"I-I don't get out much. Work sucks," Mai muttered.

"Your boss a slaver?" quipped Vincent, and Yuffie giggled.

"Pheh, pretty close to it," said Mai, quickly smiling at the joke, and then let the smile slip off her face. "But I've got no choice in the whole thing. I was born to do it." Mai dismally stared at the dregs of liquid in her cup.

"So why don't you quit?" asked Aerith. "You could come live here, in Radiant Garden."

"Thanks, but it's not so easy," said Mai, smiling. "They'd hunt me down and kill me just like the last group that tried it."

"What the hell kind of agency practices that sort of policy on its own agents!?" Reno snarled. "Hey Vince, we could find 'em and put 'em down if we wanted to couldn't we?"

Mai laughed derisively at the statement. "I was just kidding. My boss is just a cranky guy who's trying to make ends meet. I don't have a choice because the guy is sad when he tries to manage it all on his own, all of us who work for him just feel so bad that we can't help but put up with the old grouch."

"That's a horrible joke you know." Sora sighed in relief.

"Yeah well if there was one thing I'm not cut out for its comedy." Mai giggled. "Anyway, I just get so absorbed in work that I don't have much time for fun."

"Sounds like you've got one heck of a need for some down time." Reno teased.

"Oh you know it Red." Mai smiled and turned her attention to the others, "So when's this bash going down?"

"In about an hour when I get my fireworks show started." Riku replied, "Besides, the kids are getting ready so we can wait."

"Alright then Riku." Mai replied and then looked as though she was fighting an urge to say something.

"Something wrong Mai?" Selphie asked, noticing her expression.

Mia blushed lightly and let out a nervous laugh. "This might sound a little childish but I've wanted to ask Riku, Sora, Kairi, and Mickey here if I could see their Keyblades. I've heard all these amazing stories about them and well…"

"Haha, say no more." Mickey chuckled and hopped out of his seat, "It'd be a pleasure." He materialized his blade and revealed a beautiful golden key to Mai as Riku, Sora, and Kairi followed his example.

"Oh my…" Mai murmured as she examined them in mock amazement. "Hard to believe such beautiful works of art would be so powerful, especially yours Sora."

"Oh this is just an enhancement," he blushed as he removed the Ultima ornament, "The real form my Keyblade is this."

Mai scrutinized the Kingdom Key and giggled, "It looks like Mickey's here only the colors are inverted. They'd look like a brother and sister pair if you put 'em together."

_Oh she's quite good._ Regna said amusedly in Sora's mind. "I guess so." He thought aloud.

Mai smiled and locked eyes with Sora, "Thanks. It means a lot, uh, that you guys showed me."

"No problem." Sora replied and noticed one of the orphans walk in the room. "Hey there little guy."

"Um hi." The boy answered timidly and turned his attention to Aerith. "Everybody's ready Mama Aerith."

"Oh good." She answered serenely. "We should get going then before the good viewing areas get too full."

"Um… Can we all walk with Mai?" The boy asked.

"Huh? Me?" Mai asked incredulously.

"Uh-huh. Everyone is talking about the pretty lady with the green hair." The boy answered and scampered away in embarrassment.

Mai blushed as Reno laughed, "Don't worry. I'll help you out with the little munchkins."

"Uh, thanks." Mai said nervously and heard a small chorus of cheers as twenty or so children made their way to the front door.

"Come on Mai let's go!" Cirrus called out.

Tifa giggled warmly behind Mai, "It's almost as if they're forgetting about the rest of us. Well what are you waiting for Mai? Go on."

Mai smiled and shrugged, "If you say so."

--

"Coryn, we've got six minutes until we enter the gate. What're you doing back there?" Juno called out.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," muttered Coryn, carrying two cases on his way in.

"Oh my god! Why the hell are you naked!?" Juno shrieked, turning herself away in embarrassment. Seeing his upper half exposed was fine but the fact that he was completely bare left little to the A.I.'s imagination and that was just a bit too much.

"You were rushing me," said Coryn, strapping one case into a holder and unlocking the other.

"That doesn't explain why you're nude," huffed Juno, still afraid to turn around.

"Why should a computer care, anyway?" Coryn said and placed a small metallic disk in front of her.

"Bio-Frame Armor, I get it now. Put it on already, you're creeping me out with your nudity."

Coryn chuckled at the comment and placed the disk on his chest. "Sorry, the designers couldn't find a good way to put it on with clothes. Activate BFA armor, Light Armor Frame Mode: Faust."

There was a small whir and a monotone voice rang out. _FRAME MODE FAUST ACTIVATED: BEGINNING BIOSUIT TO USER FUSION._

Coryn winced at the small burning sensation when the disk released a stream of soft blue light that formed a grid across his body. The stream finished as the grid covered him from head to toe. The disk then released a torrent of particles that spread across the grid at an even rate and solidified into a single mass from his feet to the base of his neck literally becoming a second layer of skin. The suit carried small plug-like protrusions across the arms, legs, back, neck and torso and was colored black with blood red lines connecting the plugs.

_BIOSUIT FUSION SUCCESSFUL: BEGINNING FRAME MODEL CONSTRUCTION. _

The plugs then released a varied mass of particles across the suit that formed a solid metallic material into full body armor and finally a helmet. Coryn took a seat and sighed as the helmet dematerialized back into the suit.

"You know, no matter what people say I never get used to the fusion process," said Coryn.

"What's with that helmet? Is that why they call you 'the Demon'?"

"Well, one of the reasons. It wasn't my call to make that design. This Bio-Frame is a custom job. I got a buddy in Dev Unit Twelve named Mónev who makes special models. Apparently he thought it would be more intimidating to have a faceplate that had a fanged mouthpiece."

"It's kind of gaudy if you ask me," giggled Juno.

Coryn clapped his hands loudly and grinned. "Exactly! Finally, someone gets it! Everyone in Dev Unit Twelve thinks it looks hardcore. Personally I hate this model's helmet but it's the best one he's ever cooked up so I can overlook that fact. Of course… this did cost me almost eight hundred thousand…"

"So is the blood red and black color scheme your idea or his?"

"Oh, that's mine. They're my two favorite colors."

Juno made a mocking grimace and laughed. "Charming."

Coryn sighed with a smile and scratched his chin inquisitively. "You're not the average A.I., are you?"

"Pardon?"

"I don't know. It's like your creators purposefully designed you to act or maybe even be human."

Juno shifted her glance forwards out the front viewport and sighed. "I guess they did. Maybe even a bit too well."

"I think it's a bit refreshing," said Coryn casually.

"Oh?" Juno turned herself back to face him. "What do you mean by that, exactly?"

Coryn shrugged and tilted his head. "I guess spending my time with all the monotonous A.I.'s set me up for a lively time with one like you."

"Well, I'm glad you don't think I'm boring." Juno smiled. A sudden beeping sound cut the two off.

"Alright here we go again. Remember the mission plan, Juno?"

"Yeah, we get in and I take priority in finding the exit."

"Right. So give me control of all weapons and set the rear and lateral lasers to auto-fire for when enemies try to flank us."

"Done. Ready, Coryn?"

Coryn paused for a moment and took a breath before hitting the throttle. "Let's go!"

There was a soft rumbling throughout the ship as it passed through gate's shimmering white void. With a pulse, the light faded and gave way to an expansive asteroid belt. There were no surprises now as a horde of ships were in wait.

"Damn… Looks like this might be our last fight," said Coryn and put on a menacing grin. "Let's show them who they're dealing with!" He hit the throttle.

Coryn's ship raced into the pit, all guns blazing as his enemies released an endless barrage of hellfire. The ship rolled and dodged as it raced across the glittering sky. Ships exploded across the battlefield, crashed into asteroids as they pursued their quarry.

"Behind us now," Coryn snarled. "Any sign of the exit?"

"No! Keep it up!"

"Alright eat this, you bastards!" The ship rolled through several small asteroids, dropping its supply of sonic bombs across the sky. The bombs detonated and the surrounding planetoids shattered, raining debris across the sky that crushed many. Coryn's ship raced along the surface of another larger asteroid, dodging the meteor storm he had caused before turning upwards into the fray.

"What the hell!? You're insane!" Juno shrieked.

"Get back to work!"

The ship rocketed across the sky, dodging falling stars and laser fire as it fired back and destroyed more of the fighters. Explosions rocked the cabin as they took fire and alarm klaxons blared.

"Incoming massive contact!" Juno called out. "And the damn iron ore in the asteroids is making the energy reader malfunction!"

"Keep trying, we won't survive for much longer!" said Coryn as the cabin shook once more from the explosions.

A massive conical blue object suddenly careened ahead of Coryn and matched his speed at a distance. The object opened four arms into an 'X' shape with a central black core and began to rotate, firing a massive salvo of lasers at its miniscule target.

"Oh, hell!" Coryn growled and threw the ship into a downward spiral to avoid becoming space dust. The lasers missed and wiped out the other pursuing hostiles when the massive monster retracted into a torpedo and rocketed ahead of Coryn once more. This time it did not pause as it erupted into laser fire in an instant, catching Coryn off guard and pummeling the ship.

Coryn and Juno screamed in unison as Coryn veered the ship away from the chaos. "Damage report!"

"Shields down! Main weapons systems offline! Missiles and mines are damaged! If that thing gets us again, we're dead!"

Coryn veered the ship erratically in every direction to keep his enemy from launching another attack but knew it wouldn't last. How long until it just gave into frustration and rammed them? No, he couldn't let that happen, he had to get on the offensive as fast as he could. "What about the nukes!?"

"What!?"

"The nukes! Did they get damaged, too?"

"No, but if we launch one at him, we'll be sucked into the rift, too!"

Coryn's mind raced. He couldn't keep up the chase for long but Juno did have a point. If he tried to fire the weapon into the enemy, it was guaranteed suicide. Suddenly an idea hit him. "Juno, arm the nukes and set them for remote detonation. I've got a plan."

Juno remained silent for a moment while she worked. "Done. What do you got?"

"Calculate the blast radius of the event horizon of a single nuke and triangulate it. Quickly. We've only got one shot, so make sure you're right."

"Done. But what are you - "

The asteroids in front of the ship suddenly exploded with laser fire.

"Damn! Out of time, he's gonna kill us without cutting ahead," said Coryn, then perked up at the new angle he had, "Wait, that's good… That takes care of _that_ problem."

"Takes care of… What the hell are you planning!?"

"Tell me the distances I'd have to drop the bombs to make that triangle!"

"Ten miles apart!"

"Good, mark the locations after I drop the first one." The ship rocked with an explosion that jarred Coryn to his core. "That's if we get that far."

Coryn's ship darted about as erratically as it could before releasing one of the bombs in a clearer area. "Now, Juno!"

"Positions marked! Get there!" Juno urged. Her attention was suddenly caught by a soft beeping. "Coryn! The gate! I found it! Thirty degrees starboard and ninety miles ahead!"

"We won't make it without taking care of this creep first!" Coryn grunted, shaking off another blow. "Done! Now we lure him into the center and set them off!"

"The ignition trigger has a three second time delay, Coryn. If you want to catch him in the center you'll have to detonate them just as _you_ pass through the center. We could die before escaping the blast." Juno's voice was surprisingly calm and resolute.

"Then let's get out alive! I'll line ourselves up with the gate and we'll head right on for it while we take care of ugly here."

"Just do it… I don't want to die…"

Coryn stayed silent. He was going to live; he'd make sure of it. He dodged like a madman, setting his course as he did and made a break for the trap. There was a tense quiet between Coryn and Juno; only the sounds of explosions and the engine's roar could be heard. The point of no return came closer by the second, each one feeling like an eternity when finally, he pulled the trigger. Time raced all at once as the ship blasted past the center with the large 'X' shaped enemy following closely behind. The bombs detonated, their combined force pulling at everything within the area between each blast and the monster was caught right in the middle of it all. Unable to move, it struggled violently before being torn apart in three different directions.

Coryn's ship narrowly escaped the blast, losing only shards of the hull that were already peeled off from the attacks.

"Remind me… to never do something _that_ stupid again!" Coryn panted in relief. Another flash of light filled the cabin before fading back to the starry black once more.

"Don't worry. Next time, I'll just kill you and save us some trouble." Juno chuckled, resting her image on the console controls.

Coryn chuckled and propped his arm against the console, resting his forehead in his palm. "Well, just be glad there'll _be_ a next time."

"I guess you're right." Juno nodded. She sat up and gazed out the viewport. "Please say that's the target."

"Hold on, let me check." Coryn keyed a few commands and sighed in relief. "Yeah, that's it. Hmm… It's almost four times smaller than Verdania."

"Jeez, smaller than Verdania? That's pretty tiny to our standards; I mean, Verdania is small enough." Juno snickered. "But Verdania's just a massive pasture for livestock, right?"

"Mm-hmm, that's right…" Coryn nodded and smiled with a far-away focus on his face. "Haven't had Chocobo stew in a long time."

"Right… Well, you can worry about your stomach after we land this rust bucket," said Juno, laughing.

"Okay, set angle for atmospheric entry."

"Roger." The ship creaked loudly as small thrusters coaxed into an agreeable angle. "Done. One minute until entry. After that I guess we hail them and - "

A massive explosion rocked the entire ship throwing Coryn forwards against the viewport, cracking the thick partition.

Coryn grunted, winded from the blow, as he stood up. "What - ugh - hit us?"

"I can't tell! Whatever it was, it knocked out the engine and thruster systems. We're off angle!"

A sudden cricking sound shot Coryn's ears like thunder and he turned around in panic. "Oh… That can't be good…" Without a second to spare, he leapt over the console and ripped open the lid of one of the cases without bothering to unlock it. He pulled out a silver gauntlet and flicked his left wrist, causing the left gauntlet he wore to dematerialize into his suit. He quickly slapped the silver one on and secured it with a loud click.

"Quick! Transfer yourself into the Data-Band," he said, pulling a wire from the gauntlet and attaching it to the console.

"I'm in!" Juno's voice rang out as though she was in his head.

"Right!" He removed the wire and placed it back into the gauntlet. He then unlatched the other secured case and removed it from its place as quickly as he could and made a dash for the hallway. A sudden jerk of gravity caused him to stumble and he caught himself on the doorway. He felt a sudden pull on him try to wrench him back into the bridge.

He grunted loudly as he struggled on his climb up through the hall towards the nearest corner. The bridge and the hallway directly beyond it began to glow a dull red-orange hue as hot plasma began to melt away the damaged partition. The partition bubbled over and imploded violently, sending a heavy wash of plasma into the cabin and hall that seared everything in its path.

Coryn panted heavily from anxiety after avoiding the flash fire by mere inches as he rolled over the corner.

"We've got to find a small place to duck out in!" he thought aloud and immediately began crawling around until coming to the storage room. He wrenched open the door and dropped in before closing it. After securing the case once more, he backed into the furthest corner and reactivated his helmet.

"Are we going to make it?" Juno asked fearfully.

"We have to…" Coryn muttered quietly.

--

"Mai, Mai! Come quick! They're going to start the fireworks and we want you to watch it with us!" said Cirrus, ecstatic as she bounced from one foot to the next before rushing back to a seating area with Marlene and several other children.

The rest of the adults chuckled behind Mai.

"Looks like the children took a real liking to you," said Aerith with a soft smile on her face.

Mai sighed with a light blush on her cheeks. "They really shouldn't. I'm not the best of creatures."

"Aw, come on! You've been really great this whole time. So it's no wonder the kids like you so much," Yuffie assured her. "Come on! Let's go." She quickly grabbed Mai's arm and sat her down in the small crowd of kids.

"You're going to love this, Mai. Dad and Riku worked really hard on it," said Marlene proudly.

There was a flash of glittering light followed by a bang that signaled the start of the show. The city cheered loudly as the sky became a canvas for the various hues that painted the sky. The show continued for minutes with the city cheering constantly for the many images the fireworks formed.

Mai gazed into the sky calmly, wishing this would last forever. Except for the streak of fire that flew across the sky that went wholly unnoticed by everyone except for her. Her gaze was fixed upon the streaking object as she followed its course over the city and into the canyons beyond it before receiving a gentle tap on the shoulder.

"Wasn't that amazing, Mai?" asked Cirrus, giggling jovially.

"Huh - Oh! Yeah, it was pretty amazing kid," said Mai, feigning her surprise. "Well…" She stood up and stretched before facing the others. "It's about time we get this party started."

"Couldn't put it any better!" Sora nodded. "Come on, kids! Let's go have some fun!" He received a loud chorus of cheers.

"Yeah… Some fun," whispered Mai, turning her gaze back to where she last saw the streak.

--

Calm silence filled an empty mining site within the canyons. The miners had all gone back home to celebrate with their families so it came as no surprise that no one noticed or even heard the freefalling ship blast over the site, crash through a massive transmission tower, and plow into a large tunnel shaft in the back of the site.

The world was a haze as Coryn's vision fluttered in and out of darkness and he heard a soft, sweet voice call out to him.

"Coryn? Coryn? Come on, Coryn… You've got to get up," said Juno softly.

Coryn groaned in pain and sat up. "Ugh… We're alive." He muttered, dematerialized his helmet and began rubbing his sore head.

"I'm not sure how, but yeah, we're alive."

"It's the armor. Standard issue would have overloaded and we _would_ be dead." He scoffed. "That was the ultimate test for Mónev's skill as a custom armor designer."

"You should thank him when we get back."

"Yeah, no kidding. Heh, looks like the case held up too." He chuckled and opened it up. "Thank goodness the relay isn't damaged. Now time for some life insurance." He pulled out two weapons; a knife in its sheath and an odd looking gun nestled safely in its holster. He stood and held the knife and sheath over his left shoulder blade where a magnetic grapple immediately seized it and held it firmly in place and did the same to the holster on his right thigh.

"Now let's get the hell out of this tin can," he muttered and clambered about the ruined ship until he found a large opening where the hull was torn. Stepping out, he inspected what was left of his ship and laughed. "Oh man! What an awesome sight, huh, Juno?"

"I'm still a little hung up on how we survived," she muttered.

Coryn shook his head and scanned the area and realized the area was illuminated by a soft blue glow beneath his feet. "What the hell? Get a load of this." He knelt down and ran a hand across the glowing floor before realizing it was a platform that had been unearthed when he came crashing though.

Juno accessed the band's functions and activated a neural link that allowed her to see through Coryn's eyes. It wasn't much but at least she wouldn't be blind. "Coryn, look! It's Nephalic inscription." Juno pointed out to the barely noticeable etchings in the glowing floor.

"You're right, but…" He took a moment to think. "Nephalic is over two-thousand years old. It makes sense though right?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well… you know those old legends about the light realm being one giant world instead of a mess of smaller ones?"

"Yeah, everyone and their mother know about those stories."

"Well the stories always start off the same, several millennia ago."

"So you're saying this thing is Elysian."

"If Heartless sure as hell are real then those legends have got to be true too."

"Can you make out what it says?" asked Juno.

"Um… Hold on." He examined the writing carefully, piecing the words together. "'To those whose spirit courses with the power of the immortals… Take thy key in hand and'… It cuts off there." He shook his head disappointedly and stood up.

"' Spirit courses with the power of the immortals'? What do you think that means?"

"You got me, Juno. For now, let's just worry about getting out of this cave." He began to trudge up a lengthy slope that led up a twisting path of stony debris. The entrance to the cave gave way to a starry night sky when Coryn suddenly heard a high pitched whine come from behind.

"Oh…" Coryn wheeled about and stared back down the path to his wreck.

"What is that-

"Critical meltdown!" Coryn yelped, cutting Juno off.

He suddenly broke out into a headlong sprint up through the cave, out the entrance, and a short way down a path before the thunderous boom of an explosion rocked the cave. Shockwaves shook and cracked the ground Coryn ran along causing him to stumble and roll. Like an active sun, prominence flares shot out of the cave mouth, burning the air and filling it with the stench of ozone. The shockwaves continued to rock the area when the entire cave collapsed upon itself with a deafening thud.

Coryn remained still on the floor as the dust settled. "Holy shit!" he blurted out, still shaken from the explosion.

"Good thing you remembered to take the relay," Juno noted amusedly.

"Yeah… Good thing," Coryn repeated and stood up. "Let's get out of - "

He turned around only to come face to face with a tall figure dressed in white and grey garments. "Oh, crap!" Coryn yelped and jumped back. "Oh… you scared me there, buddy." He chuckled. The figure merely watched him through a large rectangular headpiece that covered its face.

"Sorry about the mine…" Coryn's words drifted away as he realized the figure remained silent. "Uh, do you speak this language?" he asked slowly. The figure slowly turned its head towards the sky, then back to Coryn.

"Coryn, this guy is starting to creep me out," Juno whispered.

"_Target,_" the figure hissed and unsheathed a long sword from its back.

Coryn instinctively backed away and held out a hand. "Whoa, buddy, I'm not an enemy. Just put the weapon away and I'm sure we can talk this over." The figure ignored him and edged its way slowly closer and moved its blade into a striking position.

Coryn aimed his gun at the figure and pulled the trigger, charging the weapon instead of firing. "I'm going to give you one warning. Put the weapon away or I _will_ shoot you!"

The figure paid no heed and suddenly lashed out at Coryn who dodged out of range, cursing as he did before firing. The gun released a pulse that rippled the air and pounded into the figure with bone pulverizing force, causing it to fly backwards. Coryn regained his composure after the recoil nearly knocked him off his feet when he noticed the figure twist and contort itself in unimaginable ways as it caught and righted itself.

"That can't possibly be human." Juno shuddered.

"It's not a Heartless… Just what the hell is it!?"

The figure pulled its sword back and suddenly lunged forward, closing the distance to Coryn in an instant. There was a loud crackling sound as its sword collided with the six inch long energy blade Coryn carried. It forced up against Coryn and pushed him back as he tried to fend the figure off.

"Gragh, it's stronger than hell!" Coryn grunted and broke the lock. The figure recovered quickly and lashed out against Coryn, throwing one lightning fast blow after another. Coryn back stepped and dodged repeatedly until hitting his back against the stone wall of the canyon. The figure then thrust its sword at Coryn's face when it felt a sudden force hold its blade in place.

Coryn grasped the blade firmly in his right hand, its point less than an inch from his face. Coryn's eyes glinted in the moonlight, both filled with rage and determination as he glared at the figure.

"Big mistake!" he snarled and broke the blade as he spun away.

The figure stumbled forward and turned only to receive a roundhouse kick to its chest that knocked it against the wall. Coryn raised his firearm again and fired multiple rounds that pounded his enemy into the wall over and over again. He then grabbed the figure by its neck and pinned it to the wall and held up his blade.

"Smile, bitch!" he growled and stabbed the figure in the chest and then sliced downward, cutting it in half. The figure went limp and dissipated into pale smoke. "Not human…" Coryn muttered and turned away. He paused and found himself before creatures identical to the figure he just killed. They watched him silently, scattered about the mining equipment and upon the other structures in the distance.

"Oh… This is just _fan__tastic_!" Coryn laughed derisively. "I'm going to give you all an option. Unless you want to end up like your friend, I suggest you walk your sorry asses out of this canyon and leave me the hell alone! It's your call."

The figures all unsheathed their blades with a metallic scrape.

"Have it your way, then," said Coryn with a sigh. "Just know this. _I_ am Commander Coryn Vastus! The Demon of Elysium! And you all just picked a horrible time to screw with me!" He roared and charged at the creatures.

They leapt into the air and descended upon him as he raised a fully charged firearm and fired, its report echoing loudly throughout the canyon.

--

**There you have it! Chapter 4 complete. Now here's something I must note now. Chapters with major battles that occur within them such as battles with massive Heartless forms, Nobodies, Thirteenth Order members and other such occurrences will be known as "Showdown" Chapters and be marked as such so you can go back and read the largest battles at your leisure.**

**Also, after re-evaluating several factors in this fic I realize it isn't so bad as to merit the M rating. So I've dropped it back to T.**

**Until next time dear readers!**

**Teaser: Showdown! No. IV The Maddening Gale Dexumé:**

"**Coryn! So… this is the real reason they call you "The Demon of Elysium". You fight with such determination and skill, killing everything in your path. You're a monster in battle and should be against forces like the Heartless and now these things. If there is one person I can trust with my life it's you. Please don't let Elysium down. We have to accomplish this mission… For everyone's sake."**


End file.
